Born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., on April 20, 1923, in el barrio Spanish harlem, New York, Puente was a musical pioneer for mixing musical styles with Latin sounds and for his experiments in fusing Latin music with jazz. The son of Puerto Rican immigrants, Puente grew up in New York City's Spanish Harlem and took piano lessons as a child and then studied percussion. He became a professional musician at age 13. Tito Puente later learned to play a number of instruments, including the piano, saxophone, vibraphone, and timbales (paired high-pitched drums). After an apprenticeship in the historic Machito Orchestra, he was drafted and served in the navy during World War II.
Once he returned to New York in 1945, Puente used money from the G.I. Bill to study at the famed Juilliard School of Music. He formed a band that would later be known as the Tito Puente Orchestra in 1948. By the 1950s, crowds came to see his band play and Puente became a Latin music sensation. In 1958, his best-selling album, Dance Mania, was released. More hit records followed as the world enjoyed the way Puente put a big band spin on traditional Latin dances.
He added other Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms to his repertoire, including cha cha, merengue, bossa nova, and salsa, and among his notable songs are Babarabatiri, Ran Kan Kan, and Oye Como Va. Puente also performed with leading jazz performers, including George Shearing and Woody Herman, as well as with many stars of Latin music and, in later years, with symphony orchestras.
During a career that spanned more than five decades, Puente became a musical legend in Latin music and jazz circles. He made more than 100 albums and created more than 200 compositions. Puente received numerous awards for his work, including five Grammy Awards. Sometimes called the "King of Latin Jazz" or simply "El Rey" - The King - he made an indelible mark on the popular culture. The writer Oscar Hijuelos made him a character in his 1989 novel, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, and Puente appeared as himself in the 1992 film adaptation. He also guest starred on numerous television shows, such as The Simpsons.
Tito Puente died on May 31, 2000, while in the hospital for heart surgery in New York, New York. Adored by his fans, many people waited in line for days to say good-bye to the popular bandleader.
El Rey del Timbal
Tito Puente Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Soy yo
La ley
Soy yo
El rey del timbal
Soy yo
La ley
Cuando me pongo a tocar
Todos salen a bailar
Con el timbal
El rey del timbal
Soy yo
La ley
Soy yo
Repicando por aquí
Tumbando por acá
Yo soy el rey
Soy el rey del timbal
Yo soy el rey de los cueros
Yo soy el rey del timbal, oh no
Soy el rey del timbal
Belén, Belén que toca ahora
A maña te invito a gozar
¡Dale Tito, cómetela!
Soy el rey del timbal
Guaguancó, guaguancó de tiempo e′ paña
El shampoo no se vacuna
Soy el rey del timbal
Eh Belén, Belén
Que tú camina pero vamo' a bailar
¡Vamos esa rumba, pa allá!
Soy el rey del timbal
Guaguancó, guaguancó de tiempo e′ paña
Mira pero vamo' a rumbear
Soy el rey del timbal
Rumbero, rumbero, rumbero la quinta mía
Oye ponme a bailar, oh no
Soy el rey del timbal
Eh Belén, Belén, te toca ahora
Amalia, te invito a bailar
The lyrics to Tito Puente's song "El Rey del Timbal" demonstrate the self-proclaimed reign of Tito Puente's mastery of the timbales - a type of percussion instrument often used in Latin music. Puente's lyrics highlight his ability to draw crowds to dance when he plays his timbales, and he leads the music and dance rhythms as the "king" of his percussion instrument.
Puente's use of the phrase "La ley soy yo" reinforces his self-proclaimed title as the "king of timbales" suggesting that he is the one who establishes the rules of music and rhythm in any performance. The song describes how Puente's playing style affects both his audience and his fellow musicians. When Puente begins to play, everyone starts to dance, and it seems as though they are following his lead. As the song progresses, the lyrics become more playful and encouraging, inviting the listeners to join in the celebration of Puente's skill.
Line by Line Meaning
El rey del timbal
I am the king of the timbales
Soy yo
It's me
La ley
The law
Cuando me pongo a tocar
When I start playing
Todos salen a bailar
Everyone starts dancing
Con el timbal
To the sound of the timbales
Repicando por aquí
Tapping here
Tumbando por acá
Hitting there
Yo soy el rey
I am the king
Yo soy el rey de los cueros
I am the king of the skins
Belén, Belén que toca ahora
Belén, Belén, it's your turn to play
A maña te invito a gozar
Tomorrow, I invite you to have a good time
¡Dale Tito, cómetela!
Go for it, Tito!
Guaguancó, guaguancó de tiempo e′ paña
Guaguancó, guaguancó from time e'pana
El shampoo no se vacuna
The shampoo cannot be vaccinated
Eh Belén, Belén que tú camina pero vamo' a bailar
Hey Belén, Belén, you may be walking but let's dance
¡Vamos esa rumba, pa allá!
Let's go that way with that rumba!
Mira pero vamo' a rumbear
Look, but let's do some rumba
Rumbero, rumbero, rumbero la quinta mía
Rumbero, rumbero, rumbero, my fifth (house)
Oye ponme a bailar, oh no
Hey, make me dance, oh no
Amalia, te invito a bailar
Amalia, I invite you to dance
Contributed by Reagan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Institut Akustiki Sputnika Official
Tito Puente is and always will be one of the BEST Latin musicians of ALL time! No one is as talented as he was.
August Wavra
Santana came close, but he drew a lot from Tito
Mario Rodriguez
No hay palabras para describir esta pieza...
Armando Estrada
Empezando el 2023 con el REY!!!👑
RIP Tito/ Lavoe
🕊
lopz33
¡Tremenda versión clásica de Tito Puente cantando Frankie Figueroa!
Lorena Treppo
Ñ ñam p1Ñ
manuel antonio Diaz hidalgo
Abanderado del conocimiento y generador de la personalidad necesaria para instrumentar sus sensaciones musicales al mundo, es convertido hoy en leyenda obligada cuando de música latina se trata; con etiqueta de Rey, es quizá el músico Caribe con mayor influencia en los Estados Unidos y el mundo, propietario de una capacidad histriónica con una excepcional habilidad instrumental, siempre acompañado de los más connotados músicos de nuestras sonoridades; es hoy por antonomasia la leyenda de la música latina; UN REY LLAMADO TITO PUENTE...!!!.
Nacido el 20 de abril de 1923, en un hospital púbico de Harlem, Ernesto Antonio "Tito" Puente Ortiz, hijo de don Ernesto Puente Sr., capataz de una fábrica de hojas de afeitar y de doña Ercilla Ortiz; establecidos en el 1850 de la Avenida Madison, del Harlem Hispano, hoy conocido como "El barrio”, habían llegado procedentes de Puerto Rico en esa ola migratoria al cierre de la primera guerra mundial, como parte de esos primeros asentamientos marginales en los distritos de Manhattan y Brooklyn, buscando posibilidades de trabajo en las diversas fabricas allí establecidas, habidas de mano de obra barata.
En su niñez, vivió en tantos lugares del barrio, que el mismo expresaba, que era difícil recordar un lugar específico, explicaba que para aquella época había tantos apartamentos vacios que para atraer residentes, los dueños ofrecían hasta dos meses de renta gratis.
Lamentablemente cuando se daba comienzo al nuevo siglo; es sometido el 31 de mayo del 2000 en la ciudad de Nueva York, a una cirugía de corazón abierto, la cual había postergado por mucho tiempo según contaba Celia Cruz, que para esa fecha se encontraba haciendo presentaciones en la Argentina; a la media noche después de 17 agotadoras horas con los galenos pierde la batalla, su corazón no resiste y se nos va el gran Ernesto Anthony Puente Jr, contaba 77 años de edad.
Han pasado 15 años desde su partida y sin lugar a dudas nuestros corazones siguen ligados a la vida que imprimía con sus baquetas a un timbal que solía convertirse en el vocero de la música latina en el mundo entero, este hombre que aprendió a reírse de sí mismo, este incansable gestor y difusor, hace parte de “La Celeste All Stars” como lo que fue y será: “UN REY LLAMADO TITO PUENTE"
Fran Barrios
Mis aplausos a semejante comentario que ha escrito usted!
Paolo Ri
2020? Música de verdad .
Soly G
2022👌🏾👌🏾