Roberto Roena

Since 1973 Roberto Roena maintained membership in the Fania All Stars while establishing himself as a leading figure in Latin percussion. Beyond fronting his own ensemble Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound, he supplied bongos and congas to prominent Latin artists such as Ruben Blades, Tito Cruz, Papo Sanchez, Adalberto Santiago, Elias Lopes, and Julio "Gunda" Merced. Early notice arrived when he backed Ismael Rivera on the daily television program El Show de Cortijo y Su Combo. Airing every day from 1954 through 1955, the broadcast confirmed Roena’s standing among Puerto Rico’s finest percussionists. He continued with that ensemble until 1962, at which point he entered Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. In 1969 he launched his own band and sustained regular performances into the 2000s. Roberto Roena died on September 23, 2021, in Cali, Colombia, at the age of 81.