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 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 is known for his amazing salsa and bolero music.

Gilberto Santa Rosa has won six Grammy Awards. He has also sold more than three million records in the United States and Puerto Rico. Besides singing, he has also acted in a comedy movie.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

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

In 1976, he started his recording 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.

A Star in the Salsa World

In the 1980s, Gilberto Santa Rosa recorded an album called Homenaje a Eddie Palmieri (Tribute to Eddie Palmieri). He also sang with other famous orchestras, like the Tommy Olivencia Orchestra and the Willie Rosario orchestra.

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

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

He made history by being the first tropical salsa singer to perform a concert at the famous Carnegie Hall Theater in New York City. This concert was recorded live and released as an album. A special moment was when he added four minutes of unscripted improvisation to his song "Perdoname" (Forgive Me). This part became so popular that he had to memorize his own improvised lines for future shows! "Perdoname" became the closing song for many of his concerts.

In 1990, Santa Rosa joined a special project called "La Puertorriqueña" with other stars like 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. In 1996, a greatest hits album called 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 New York City's Lincoln Center and later with Olga Tañón in Hollywood, California.

Continuing Success in the 2000s

Gilberto Santa Rosa continued to release hit albums. Expresión came out in 1999, and Romántico in 2001. In 2002, he released Viceversa, which was a big hit in the Latin community across the United States and 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 to honor Tito Rodríguez. He even recorded a duet with Tito using modern technology for the song "En la soledad" (In Solitude). In 2003, he organized a two-night concert in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and displayed his collection of Tito Rodríguez items in the lobby. In 2004, he released the album "Auténtico."

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

In February 2008, Santa Rosa performed at the "Concierto del amor" at Madison Square Garden. In June 2008, his album "Contraste" received "Gold" and "Platinum" awards for selling over 1,500,000 copies. The album's first song, "Conteo regresivo," was number one on Billboard's tropical list for sixteen weeks. After performing in New York City's Puerto Rican Day Parade, Santa Rosa started an international tour. He performed in Chile for the first time in June 2008, and in July 2008, he was the first salsa singer to perform at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona.

Gilberto Santa Rosa has also helped improve public education in Puerto Rico. He participated in Sapientis Week, where public figures visit classrooms to raise awareness about education. In July 2010, he performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games.

In 2017, Santa Rosa was part of Lin-Manuel Miranda's song "Almost Like Praying". Many Latin artists sang on this song, and all the money raised helped people affected by a hurricane in Puerto Rico. In November 2019, he was featured on Norberto Vélez's YouTube channel in a series called "Sesiones Desde La Loma Ep. 2."

Acting Career

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, which was about a family's funny problems during his daughter's wedding.

Awards and Special Honors

Gilberto Santa Rosa has received many awards for his music.

• In 2002, he was given 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 him the key to the city and a star on their Walk of Fame at Celia Cruz Park.
• In 2021, Santa Rosa was honored with the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and successful career.
• As of 2010, he holds the record for 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

In Spanish: Gilberto Santa Rosa para niños

• List of Puerto Ricans