Bobby Cruz

Closely tied to pianist Ricardo Ray across much of his professional life, vocalist Bobby Cruz spent more than ten years as a pioneer in boogaloo before shifting into salsa, only to step back from public view in the 1980s and channel his energies into Christian work. He launched his recording path as lead singer with the Ricardo Ray Orchestra in 1964 for Fonseca Records; by decade’s end, after fronting tracks such as the hit “Mr. Trumpet Man,” he shared top billing on the pair’s Alegre Records releases. In 1970 the duo relocated from New York City to Puerto Rico, opened a club, and began cutting material for Vaya Records, a Fania subsidiary, starting with the landmark El Bestial Sonido de Richie Ray y Bobby Cruz (1971). Declared Los Reyes de la Salsa in 1974, they embraced Christianity soon afterward and adjusted their personal habits while still issuing Vaya albums through the mid-1980s, though their focus increasingly turned to church matters. Apart from a single farewell set in 1987, they remained absent from the music world between 1983 and 1998. A 1999 reunion concert restarted their joint career as a performing and recording act, now often infusing their repertoire with Christian themes. The pair received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 Latin Grammys and earned a nomination the next year for Best Contemporary Tropical Album.

Roberto Cruz Feliciano, born February 2, 1938, in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, spent his early years on a rural farm. El Gran Combo served as his chief musical inspiration. After his family settled in New York City he met pianist Ricardo “Richie” Ray and joined the latter’s orchestra as vocalist. Both musicians made their first recordings on Ricardo Ray Arrives/Comején (1964), credited to the Ricardo Ray Orchestra and issued by Fonseca Records. That album, arranged entirely by Ray and Cruz, mixed mambo, descarga, bolero, pachanga, and cha cha, and contained the memorable “Comején” along with “Mambo Jazz,” a number later reworked. On the Scene with Ricardo Ray (1965) appeared next on Fonseca, followed by several other mid-1960s releases whose precise dates remain uncertain: 3 Dimensions (1966), Richie Ray Introducing Bobby Cruz a Go-Go-Go (1966), and Fiesta Navideña (1966).

Switching to Alegre Records, Ray and Cruz issued further albums, at first credited solely to Ricardo Ray, beginning with Se Soltó/On the Loose (1966), which introduced the early boogaloo track “Danzón Boogaloo.” Jala Jala y Boogaloo (1967) sustained the style, as did its follow-up Jala Jala y Boogaloo, Vol. 2 (1968), which featured the English-language success “Mr. Trumpet Man” sung by Cruz. Additional Alegre titles included Let’s Get Down to the Real Nitty Gritty (1968), Los Durísimos/The Strong Ones (1969), and Agúzate (1970), the later ones jointly billed to Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz; they also recorded occasionally for Tico and United Artists.

The move to Puerto Rico in 1970 allowed them to open Richie Ray’s Club in Río Piedras while commencing their Vaya Records association. Their Vaya debut, El Bestial Sonido de Richie Ray y Bobby Cruz (1971), signaled the start of their salsa era and ranks among their strongest works. Cruz issued his first solo effort, Bobby Cruz Canta para Ti (1972), produced by Ray. At peak popularity in the early to mid-1970s, the duo performed often; the 1972 concert recording Jammin’ Live captured that high point, and they also appeared on the celebrated Fania All-Stars collections Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 1 (1971), Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa) (1972), Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 2 (1973), Latin-Soul-Rock (1974), Live at Yankee Stadium, Vol. 1 (1976), and Live at Yankee Stadium, Vol. 2 (1976).

During a 1974 concert at San Juan’s Roberto Clemente Coliseum, Ray and Cruz were proclaimed Los Reyes de la Salsa; soon afterward both made public conversions to Christianity, shuttered their club, altered their lifestyles, and eventually became pastors. Their new faith did not immediately alter their output, and they continued releasing Vaya albums through the 1970s and into the 1980s: the solo Amor en la Escuela (1974), 1975 (1975), 10 Aniversario (1975), Reconstrucción (1976), The Best of Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz (1977), Viven (1977), El Sonido de la Bestia (1980), De Nuevo los Durísimos (1980), Pinturas (1981), Las Águilas (1982), and Back to Back (1982). After a five-year gap they delivered their last Vaya project, Los Inconfundibles (1987), containing the final salsa statement “Adiós a la Salsa.” For more than a decade thereafter they concentrated on church activities and stayed away from the stage and studio.

Cruz published the childhood memoir Cuando Era Niño in 1997; an accompanying album appeared the same year on RMM Records. The duo reunited for a 1999 concert at Bayamón’s Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum, then embarked on further dates across Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, New York, and Miami. Universal Music Latino documented the reunion with the warmly received double-disc Un Sonido Bestial el Concierto (1999). Renewed success prompted fresh recordings, many reflecting an evangelistic outlook and issued by WEA International: the joint Lo Nuevo y Lo Mejor (2001), Cruz’s solo Voz, Palabra y Júbilo (2000), Ray’s solo Al Ritmo del Piano (2002), and Cruz’s solo Caminando (2002).

After their WEA tenure ended, the pair moved to Tropisounds and debuted on the label with Que Vuelva la Música (2005). Two years later they issued the live CD/DVD A Lifetime of Hits: Live at Centro de Bellas Artes, San Juan, Puerto Rico, plus Cruz’s solo Romanticos de Ayer, Hoy y Siempre. In 2006 they received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammy ceremony; the following year Cruz won Best Traditional Tropical Album for Romanticos de Ayer, Hoy y Siempre, while A Lifetime of Hits earned a nomination for Best Contemporary Tropical Album.