Gilberto Santa Rosa
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Giberto Santa Rosa, also known as "The Salsa Gentleman" (born August 21, 1962 in Carolina, Puerto Rico), is a singer of salsa and bandleader.
Giberto was born in Carolina, a city on the north eastern part of the Island. Here he received his primary and secondary education and became interested in music. He took part in his first concert whilst a teenager and in 1976, he made his recording debut as a backup singer with the Mario Ortiz Orchestra; soon afterwards he was recruited by La Grande Orchestra, where he became the lead singer. He remained with the orchestra for two years, during which time he met Elias Lopes who helped to mold and polish him as a singer.
During the 1980s, he recorded "Homenaje a Eddie Palmieri" (Tribute to Eddie Palmieri) with the Puerto Rican All Stars. He also recorded with various orchestras, amongst them:
Gilberto developed a unique style of "soneo" (improvisation) in salsa that permitted him to be successful in both the "tropical" and "romantic" styles of the music.
In 1986, Gilberto formed his own band and signed with Combo Records; a string of hits followed, such as:
- "Good Vibration",
- "De Amor y Salsa" (Of Love and Salsa),
- "Punto de Vista" (Point of View),
- "Vivir Sin Ella" (Living without Her) and
- "Perspectiva".
Gilberto was also the first singer of tropical salsa to perform at the Carnegie Hall Theater.
In 1990, Gilberto joined the all star "La Puertoriqueña" project which included Andy Montañez; in the same year he was awarded the Billboard Lo Nuestro Award for Best Male Singer. He also participated in the play "La Pareja Dispareja" (The Odd Couple) alongside Jacobo Morales and Rafo Muñiz. In 1995, Gilberto traveled to Japan as Puerto Rico's Good Will Ambassader, where he sang "De Cara al Viento" (Facing the Wind) in Japanese. In 1996, he recorded "Caballero de la Salsa, Vol 2" and he also participated in the First Presidents Festival in the Dominican Republic. In 1997, he sang with Andy Montañez in New Yorks Lincoln Center and later that year, with Olga Tañon at the Universal Studios Amphitheater in Hollywood, California.
Gilberto's hits continued with the album "Expresion" which included the single "Fulana" (What's her name) and in 2001 with the album "Romantico". He released "Viceversa" in 2002 which became a "hit" in the Latin community in the United States and in all of Latin-America.
Gilberto has taken on himself the task of keeping Tito Rodriguez's musical legacy alive and has acquired much of Tito's memorabilia, including articles of clothing, music and furniture from his home in Puerto Rico. Santa Rosa has staged several concerts and dances honoring the late singer, and recorded an album of his where with the use of modern technology, he sings a duet with him. During the week of February 24, 2003 Santa Rosa organized a two-night concert at the Center of the Performing Arts in Caguas, Puerto Rico. As an introduction to the event, he arranged for his private collection of Tito Rodríguez memorabilia to be exhibited in the lobby of the center. In 2004, he released "Autentico".
In addition, he has long played an important role in the career of his friend and protege, Victor Manuelle, who Gilberto discovered. The two released a joint live album in late 2005, "Dos Soneros, Una Historia."
