Gilberto Santa Rosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gilberto Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa in 2011
Background information
Also known as	"El Caballero de la Salsa" ("The Gentleman of Salsa")
Born	(1962-08-21) August 21, 1962 (age 62) Santurce, Puerto Rico
Genres	Salsa bolero
Occupation(s)	Bandleader singer actor
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Independent
Associated acts	Víctor Manuelle Tommy Olivencia El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés, born on August 21, 1962, is a famous singer and bandleader from Puerto Rico. People often call him "El Caballero de la Salsa", which means "The Gentleman of Salsa." He sings salsa and bolero music. Gilberto Santa Rosa has won six Grammy Awards and sold millions of records. He even acted in a comedy movie!

Gilberto Santa Rosa's Early Life

Gilberto Santa Rosa was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He went to school there and became very interested in music. As a teenager, he performed in his first concert.

In 1976, he started his music career as a backup singer for the Mario Ortiz Orchestra. Soon after, he joined La Grande Orchestra as the lead singer. He stayed with them for two years. During this time, he met Elias Lopez, who helped him become an even better singer.

His Amazing Singing Career

In the 1980s, Gilberto Santa Rosa recorded a tribute album for Eddie Palmieri. He also recorded with other famous orchestras, like the Tommy Olivencia Orchestra and the Willie Rosario orchestra.

Santa Rosa created his own special way of improvising in salsa music, called "soneo." This helped him succeed in both the fast, energetic "tropical" salsa and the slower, romantic styles.

Forming His Own Band

In 1986, Gilberto Santa Rosa started his own band and signed with Combo Records. He quickly had many hit songs. Some of these hits included "Good Vibrations," "De amor y salsa" (Of Love and Salsa), and "Vivir sin ella" (Living without Her).

Gilberto Santa Rosa was the first tropical salsa singer to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City. He opened the show with his unique version of "Represento" (I Represent). This concert was recorded live and later released as an album. A special moment was when he added four minutes of improvised lines to his song "Perdoname" (Forgive Me). This showed off his amazing talent for making up lyrics on the spot. This live version became so popular that he had to memorize his own improvised lines for future concerts! "Perdoname" then became the closing song for his shows.

Awards and Collaborations

In 1990, Santa Rosa joined an all-star music project called "La Puertorriqueña," which included singer Andy Montañez. That same year, he won the Billboard Lo Nuestro Award for Best Male Singer. He also acted in a play called La pareja dispareja (The Odd Couple).

In 1995, Santa Rosa traveled to Japan as Puerto Rico's Good Will Ambassador. He sang "De cara al viento" (Facing the Wind) in Spanish for the Japanese audience. The record company even translated all the songs into Japanese. In 1996, his greatest hits album, Caballero de la Salsa, Vol 2, was released. He also performed at the first "Festival Presidente" in the Dominican Republic. In 1997, he sang with Andy Montañez at Lincoln Center in New York City. Later that year, he performed with Olga Tañón in Hollywood, California.

His Music in the 2000s

Gilberto Santa Rosa continued to have hit songs with his album Expresión, which featured the single "Fulana" (What's her name). In 2001, he released the album Romántico. His 2002 album, Viceversa, became a huge hit for Latin communities in the United States and all over Latin-America.

Santa Rosa has worked to keep the music of the late singer Tito Rodríguez alive. He has collected many of Tito's personal items, like clothes and furniture. Santa Rosa has held several concerts and dances to honor Tito Rodríguez. He even recorded an album where, using modern technology, he sang a duet with Tito Rodríguez on the song "En la soledad" (In Solitude). In 2003, Santa Rosa organized a two-night concert in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Before the concert, he displayed his collection of Tito Rodríguez's items in the lobby. In 2004, he released the album "Auténtico."

Gilberto Santa Rosa has also helped his friend and student, Víctor Manuelle, become a successful singer. In 2005, they released a live album together called Dos soneros, una historia. In 2006, Santa Rosa released Directo al corazón. In 2007, he performed a highly praised concert in Santo Domingo and released Contraste, which included the major hit song "Conteo regresivo." He also performs a musical comedy show called Cantando y Contando (Singing & Telling Stories) with Chucho Avellanet.

Later Achievements

On February 9, 2008, Santa Rosa performed at the "Concierto del amor" (Concert of Love) at Madison Square Garden. In June 2008, his album "Contraste" received "Gold" and "Platinum" awards. This means it sold over 1.5 million copies! At that time, the album's first song, "Conteo regresivo," had been number one on Billboard's tropical music list for sixteen weeks.

After performing in New York City's Puerto Rican Day Parade, Santa Rosa started an international tour in June 2008. He performed in New Orleans, Florida, Ecuador, Chile, Spain, Colombia, and Mexico. His concert in Chile on June 28, 2008, was his first ever in that country. About 8,000 fans attended the show. On July 5, 2008, Santa Rosa became the first salsa singer to perform at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. The show was sold out, with 2,000 people attending.

Santa Rosa was chosen to perform at the "Balón de Oro" award ceremony, which is a very important award in Mexican football. He also took part in "La Nueva Salsa," where he performed with several young salsa artists. Gilberto Santa Rosa has also helped improve public education in Puerto Rico. He participated in Sapientis Week, where famous people visit classrooms to raise awareness about education. On July 17, 2010, he performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games.

In 2017, Santa Rosa helped Lin-Manuel Miranda with his song "Almost Like Praying." Many Latin artists were featured on the song. All the money raised helped people affected by a hurricane in Puerto Rico. In November 2019, Gilberto Santa Rosa was a featured singer on Norberto Vélez's YouTube channel, "Sesiones Desde La Loma Ep. 2."

Acting in a Comedy Film

In 2012, Gilberto Santa Rosa acted in a comedy movie called La nena se casa... en Navidad (My little girl is getting married... on Christmas). He played the father in the film. The movie is about the funny problems a father and his family face during his daughter's wedding.

Awards and Special Honors

In 2002, Gilberto Santa Rosa received the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award. He also received a special award at the 2002 Lo Nuestro Awards. On September 28, 2008, the city of Union City, New Jersey gave Santa Rosa the key to the city. They also honored him with a star on the Walk of Fame at Union City's Celia Cruz Park.

In 2021, Santa Rosa was given the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This award celebrates his long and successful career. As of 2010, he holds the record for having the most number-one albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart.

Personal Life

Gilberto Santa Rosa is married to Alexandra Malagón. On June 6, 2013, he also became a citizen of the Dominican Republic.

Discography

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans