Tito Rojas

Tito Rojas
Background information
Also known as	El Gallo
Born	June 14 1955 (1955--) (age 52)
Origin	Humacao, Puerto Rico
Genre(s)	Salsa
Years active	1978 - Present

Tito Rojas a.k.a. "El Gallo" (The Rooster) (born June 14, 1955 in Humacao, Puerto Rico) is a salsa singer and bandleader.

Early years

Rojas was raised in the town of Humacao which is located on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. There he received his primary and secondary education. He enjoyed singing to his family and he would also sing the latest salsa tunes with his friends.

Singing career

In 1975, he auditioned with Pedro Conga and his International Orchestra and was hired as a singer. After a short while, he left the band and joined the "Conjunto Borincuba", conducted by Justo Betancourt, as lead singer. With this band, he participated in the recording of Con Amor (With Love), which became a "hit" in 1978.

That same year Rojas joined the "Fania All Stars" and had a "hit" song with El Campesino (The Farmer). After spending sometime with the Fania All Stars, Rojas decided to form his own band the "Conjunto Borincano" which was short lived. In 1987 and 1989 he had hits with the salsa versions of the ballards Noche de Bodas (Wedding Night) and Quiereme Como Soy (Love me the way I am). These were accomplished after he joined the "Puerto Rican Power" band.

In 1990, Rojas went "solo" and recorded Condename (1990) and A Mi Estilo (My Style) (1994), however it was his 1995 recording Por Propio Derecho (On my own right), that placed Rojas on the Latin Billboards hit list. He gained the recognition he always wanted when he won a double Platinum Record Award, the Paoli Prize for "Best Salsa Artist of the Year" and an "ACE" Award.

In 1996, Rojas had hits with Humildemente (Humbly) and Pal' Pueblo (For my town), he also released 20th Aniversario, Alegrias y Penas and Navidad con Tito in 1999.

Recordings

The following are some of Rojas recordings:

• Tito Rojas y el Conjunto Borincano (1980) (Tito Rojas and the Borincano)
• Sensual (1990)
• Condename (1992)
• Todo a Cambiado (1994) (Everything in Exchange)
• A Mi Estilo (1994) (My Style)
• Con Velo y Corona (1995)
• Tito Rojas (1995)
• Por Derecho Propio (1995) (On My Own Right)
• Humildemente (1996)
• Pal' Pueblo (1997)
• Salsa Mixes y Mas Mixes (1997)
• Alegrias y Penas (1999) (Happiness and Sadness)
• Rompiendo Noches (2000) (Breaking Nights)
• Quiero Llegar a Casa (2001) (I want to go home)
• Canta El Gallo (2003) (The Rooster Sings)
• El De Siempre (2003) (Same as always)
• Perseverencia (2003)
• Tradicional (2004) (Traditional)
• Borron y Cuenta Nueva (2005)

Currently

In 2002, Tito Rojas and his band performed and recorded "live" from Las Vegas, Nevada. The album is titled Tito Rojas Live: Autenticamente En Vivo with Roberto Roena as a special gueat on the bongos. His most recent album is "Borron y Cuenta Nueva" with Si Me Faltas Tu and Cuando Un Hombre Se Enamora as the album hits. Tito Rojas is currently active with his band and continues to go on musical tours to various countries.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

External link

• Music of Puerto Rico

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