|
 Roena
was born on 16 January 1940, in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. A
noted salsa bandleader, Roena actually began his musical
career as a dancer and was known as “El Gran Bailarín” (The
Great Dancer).
While
performing as a dancer and chorus singer with Cortijo y Su
Combo, the band’s leader
Rafael
Cortijo
gave Roena his first percussion lessons. He stuck with the
bongos
and became a member of Cortijo’s band between 1957 and 1962
as a percussionist.
He
later moved to the orchestra of Mario Ortiz. After some
months with Ortiz, Roena was asked to become part of
El Gran
Combo
and he seized the opportunity. But he was not alone. Seven
others, led by pianist Rafael Ithier, defected from
Cortijo’s Combo in May 1962. The new group would go on to
international fame.
In 1966, Roena made his recording debut as a bandleader with
the “Megatones”. The group recorded “Se Pone Bueno” on the
Alegre Records label. Camilo Azuquita provided the lead
vocals with Andy Montañez and Pellín Rodríguez, who were the
lead vocalists at the time for El Gran Combo, in the chorus.
Roena left El Gran Combo in 1969 and
formed a new band: Apollo Sound. He signed with Fania
International, a division of Jerry Masucci and
Johnny
Pacheco‘s
Fania Records, for which he recorded
Roberto
Roena y Su Apollo Sound.
Well known composer,
Catalino
Curet Alonso,
was the musical director and wrote the smash song “Tu Loco
Loco, y Yo Tranquilo”.
Apollo
Sound featured two trumpets, trombone, tenor saxophone,
rhythm section consisting of bongo,
conga
and
timbales,
bass and piano, as well as lead singer and chorus. A third
trumpet was added in the mid-1970’s.
Roena y
Su Apollo Sound developed into one of the more progressive
and sophisticated salsa orchestras with their own
distinctive style. Their sound was created with the help of
some of the most creative arrangers in Puerto Rico,
including
Bobby
Valentín,
Louis García, Elías Lopes, Papo Lucca,
Luis
‘Perico’ Ortiz,
Julio
“Gunda” Merced,
Tito Rivera and
Humberto
Ramírez.
Roena joined the Fania All Stars at the beginning of the
1970’s and has continued with them up to the present day.
With them he appeared in the films “Our Latin Thing” (1972)
and “Salsa” (1976), and made his UK debut in 1976. He can be
seen performing as a percussionist and dancer with the band
in the 1991 UK video release “Salsa Madness”, filmed in
Zaire in 1974.
Roena went on to relase many albums
with Apollo Sound, such as
El
Progreso
in 1978, which was one of his strongest albums. It contained
“Lamento De Concepción” composed by Catalino Curet Alonso
and arranged by Papo Lucca. Tito Cruz was joined on lead
vocals by Carlos Santos, who had previously been with Kako
and Vilató y Los Kimbos.
Also in 1978, Roena produced “La Practica Hace La Perfección”
for Apollo Sound founder member, trumpeter/vocalist Mario
‘Mickey’ Alvarez Cora, leading his own band called Orquesta
Cabala.
Roena released four albums on the
Fania label between 1980 and 1982.
Looking
Out For ‘Numero Uno’,
released in 1981, contained the dark bittersweet “Se Esconde
Porque Me Debe”, superbly arranged by Louis García, and
three interpretations of songs written by Cuban
composer/bandleader Adalberto Alvarez. The next year,
Roberto teamed up with vocalist Adalberto Santiago for his
last release on Fania,
Super
Apollo 47:50.
Also in
1982, Roena participated in a reunion of some ex-members of
El Gran Combo on El Combo Del Ayer, and again in 1983 on
Aquel Gran Encuentro. Roena re-surfaced with Apollo Sound in
1985 on
Afuera y
Contento
on Pa’ Lante Records. Piro Mantilla, and Sammy González,
both co-founders of Apollo Sound, together with Junior
Reynoso, comprised the album’s trio of lead singers. The
album included a great version of Adalberto Alvarez’s
composition “A Ver’.
Roena’s more recent releases include
El
Pueblo Pide Que Toque
released in 1994 and which produced the hit title song,
El
Pueblo Pide Que Toque
and
En Vivo
Desde Bellas Artes
in 1995.
Roena has contributed to recordings by
various other salsa artists and bands, including
Charlie
Palmieri,
Roberto Lugo, Ismael Quintana,
Cheo
Feliciano,
Julio “Gunda” Merced y Su Salsa Fever, Pedro Arroyo, Harold
and
Andy
Montañez
and Willie González.
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