Andy Montañez

The plaintive high nasal tone of Puerto Rican singer Andy Montañez is inherited from and reflects the Hispanic influence in Caribbean music, a tradition that began among the Spanish farmers and peasants that settled the hills in Puerto Rico.

He began his career as lead singer in El Gran Combo in 1961, a group he shared the stage with for 15 years. After this time he co-led Dimensión Latina, a band based in Venezuela, with whom he played between 1977 and 1980. He then left the band to embark on a solo career. The band that accompanies him has the same instrumental structure as El Gran Combo: two trumpets, two saxophones, a bass, a piano and percussion, including a conga, bongos, timbales, cencerro and maracas.

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