Biography
Born Pedro Juan Rodríguez Ferrer on 31 January 1932 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the vocalist who would later answer to “El Conde” died of heart failure in New York City on 2 December 2000 and was laid to rest in his birthplace. His smooth, inventive phrasing and aristocratic bearing earned him the sobriquet The Count, and he ranks among the foremost soneros—salsa singers celebrated for their improvisational skill. Local bands in Ponce gave him his start before he moved to New York, where Johnny Pacheco first employed him in the mid-1960s; Rodríguez appeared on Pacheco Y Su Charanga Vol. IV - ‘Suav’ito’, Cañonazo and Pacheco At The N.Y. World’s Fair. In 1966 he supplied the lead voice on Swing, the sole album by the three-trumpet Conjunto Sensación directed by Cuban Rey Roig and featuring pianist Alfredo Rodríguez. That same year Pacheco and Rodríguez rejoined forces for Pacheco Y Su Charanga - By Popular Demand; five further joint recordings followed between 1967 and 1973, among them the acclaimed Tres De Café Y Dos De Azúcar, whose standout track was “El Piro De Farra.” Their partnership also produced enduring classics such as Catalino Curet Alonso’s “La Esencia Del Guaguancó,” issued on 1970’s La Perfecta Combinación, and “Dulce Con Dulce,” recorded the next year for Los Compadres. During the same span Rodríguez helped found the Fania All Stars and delivered an electrifying “Pueblo Latino” on Live At Yankee Stadium Vol. 1. Stepping out as a solo artist in 1974 under the management of his wife Frances, he retained the classic Cuban trumpet-and-tres conjunto sound. Pacheco oversaw the debut album El Conde and contributed coro vocals; the release became a commercial success and earned Rodríguez the Latin NY magazine award for Best New Band in 1975. José Febles supplied arrangements for the 1976 follow-up Este Negro Si Es Sabroso, which included the hits “Catalina La O” by Johnny Ortiz and a fresh “Pueblo Latino” by C. Curet Alonso; Louie Ramírez produced both that set and the 1977 album A Touch Of Class, whose Febles-arranged “Tambo” was written by Rubén Blades. Frances assumed production duties for 1979’s Soy La Ley, yet Febles returned to handle all production and arrangements on 1982’s Fiesta Con “El Conde.” Between 1983 and 1989 Rodríguez and Pacheco cut four more albums together, culminating in the 25th-anniversary project Celebración. Pacheco served as producer and musical director for the romantically inclined El Rey, released the following year. Rodríguez stayed active into the next decade, enlisting son Pete Emilio and daughter Cita for 1993’s Generaciones ’93 and collaborating with Papo Lucca on Pete Y Papo ’96. In April 2000 he rejoined the Fania All Stars for their 35th-anniversary concert in Puerto Rico, only months before his death.
Albums
