Tito Puente

Tito Puente is one of those rare figures whose music outlived him entirely, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Born in New York in 1923, the King of the Timbales turned mambo and Latin jazz into something irresistible, racking up Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement award, and a National Medal of Arts along the way. What I love is that his virtuosity never felt cold; he played with a grin, and you can feel the joy in every roll. Music exists to move people, and Puente understood that to his core. You cannot tell the story of Latin music without him standing at the very center.

Name (English)

Tito Puente

Name (Japanese)

ティト・プエンテ

Reading

てぃと・ぷえんて

Born

April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Taurus / Boar

Origin

New York City, New York, United States

Occupation

actor / bandleader / conductor / composer / salsa musician

High school

Norman Thomas High School

Awards & achievements

• National Medal of Arts
• 2003 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
• Library of Congress Living Legend
• 1995 Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1979 Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording
• 1984 Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album
• 1991 Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album
• 2000 Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito%20Puente
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%83%97%E3%82%A8%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317122

Tags

• New York
• actor
• bandleader
• conductor

Last updated

2026-06-19

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.