Roberto Torres was born 10 February 1940. He is a Cuban musician hailing from Guines. His interpretation of Simon Diaz’s Caballo Viejo is what made him famous. He is considered one of the greatest authorities on Cuban music history. Sonora Matancera’s singing career places him among the highest-ranking and most respected Cuban singers. Along with Arturo Sandoval, Rosendo Rosall, Celia Cruz, as well as Eloy Crespo, he has contributed a significant amount to the documentary Son, la antesalade la salsa. He is considered Cuba’s greatest musical talent. he also started the careers of many artists singers such as Billy “la voz” Quinones who is also a musician trumpeter/percussionist who at the age of 16 yrs old was Roberto Torres’s lead trumpeter and music director by the age of 18. As he sings on his solo CD, Billy la voz Quinones dedictes Roberto his version Caballo Viejo using a Latin Kompa style. In which Billy la voz refers to Kompalsa as a mixture of haitian and french caribbean sounds and charanga vallento beats, Roberto Torres, a Cuban singer, percussionist and composer, is also the label boss. He started singing at age 20. Conjunto Universal and Orquesta Swing Casino were his employers in Havana before he left Cuba for New York City in June 1959. He organized the cooperative charanga Orquesta Broadway with Cuban flutist Eddy Zervigon in 1962. They made a string popular LPs on the Gema Musicor and Tico labels from 1964 to 1968. He worked with Jose Fajardo, Sonora Matancera after he left Broadway. He sang the lead vocals for Mike Martinez’s Latin Dimensions in 1972 on their eponymous Mericana LP. Torres’ solo debut was on El Castigador (1973), which included the hit “El Caminante”, followed by Roberto Torres y Chocolate Juntos ’74 on Mericana (a collaboration between Cuban trumpeter Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros), De Nuevo and Roberto Torres y sus Caminantes, El Duro del Guaguanco 76-8 on Mericana subsidiary Salsoul. He co-founded the New York-based SAR record label in 1979 with his El Rey del Montuno. He produced more than 50 LPs over the next three-years on SAR, Toboga, and Neon labels for Papaito and Linda Leida. Torres and SAR led an early 1980s revival of tipico (typically, traditional) Cuban music. With the African and French Caribbean markets in mind, he chose a “rootsy”, extended track sound and went for millions of sales. He formed the SAR All Stars using many of the same New York-based musicians for various sessions. These included Chocolate, Leopoldo Pineda (trombone), the Zervigon brothers, Valdes Jr., and many other artists. Recuerda A Portabales (songs that are associated with Guillermo Portabales, Cuban singer/composer), Presenta: Ritmo de Estrellas, and Charanga Colonial were Torres’ SAR albums. They also included Recuerda A Portabales, which featured songs from the repertoire of the Cuban trio, Recuerda A Trio Matamoros, Charanga Colonial, and three LPs by his Charanga Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata accordion, Roberto Torres Y Su Charanga Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata Vallenata. 2 produced the huge hit “Caballo Viejo”, ’81; Corazon De Pueblo, ’84; Elegantemente Criollo, ’86. These albums were made in Miami by Torres’ label Guajiro Records Incorporated. (where he had moved, taking SAR), and distributed locally by Torres’ Guajiro Records Incorporated. After ’82, the output of the SAR group fell. Many stars moved to Caiman Records, founded in 1983 by Bofill, Humberto Corredor, and others to Laslos Records in 1984. Monguito “El Unico”, Valdes Jr., and other musicians also recorded for the Ivory Coast’s Sacodis label, which mirrored SAR’s sound from 1980 to mid-’80s. Guajiro Records Inc. of Torres and SAR Records Inc. filed trademark licenses that included distributor rights to allow audio cassette tapes, compact disks, and phonograph records to be released. This allowed Torres to launch his project into the next decade. From 1992 to 2000, Torres continued to reissue and issue his solo albums via SAR from Miami through the local distributor and media producer Americ Disc USA Florida Inc. His comfortable lifestyle was maintained by the various reissues and reissues of his Charranga Vallenata-created sound, starting in 1992 with the CD album releases of “Roberto Torres Presenta La Charranga Vallenata”, Vol. 2″, “Roberto Torres Y Su Charanga Vallenata, Vol. 3”, “Tropicalismo”, “Con Mucho Swing”, “Recuerda A Portabales”, “Con El Sabor De… Roberto Torres”, “Elegantemente Criollo”, “Recuerda Al Trio Matamoros”, “El Rey Del Montuno”, “Rinde Homenja A Benny More” and “Roberto Torres Y Sigo Criollo”. Following were CD album releases and reissues of “Roberto Torres Con Charranga De La 4” in 1993 and 1994, respectively, of “Recuerda Al Trio Matamoros”, “El Rey Del Montuno”, and “Al Fin!” Lo Mejor De Roberto Torres”. 1995 opened with CD album releases, and reissues from “Bailable Como Nunca!” The year ended with “Castigador” 1996 was Torres’ best year, with a lot of touring appearances. This was accompanied by CD album releases as well as reissues and CD albums of “La Fiesta” and “Vallenatos A Mi Estilo,” Vol. 1″ and Vol. 2″. This strong template was a driving force in Torres’s career, which continued through 1997 with the release of “Juntos”, a project combining well-known Latin artist “Chocolate”. This album was released as “Juntos Con Roberto Torres Y Chocolate”. His direction and production credits for the label were established in 1998 with the release of Roberto Torres Y El Trio Boriquen – Viva El Bolero. In the Nineties, Torres also recorded with the Tropicana Stars on Regu Records. He also reissued “Con Mucho Swing-Roberto Torres”
