Bobby Valentín

Bassist and trumpeter Bobby Valentín was one of the main collaborators and arrangers of Fania All-Stars in the 70’s, a period during which he also recorded several solo albums. This Puerto Rican born in 1941 learned to play the guitar before starting primary school, taught by his father, and at age 11 he won a contest with a band he directed. This was when he began studying the alto saxophone and trumpet at the Jose Quinton Music Academy. At 15 he moved to New York with his family, where he continued studying the trumpet, both at school and at the legendary Carmine Caruso. Around this time the group "Los Satélites" was formed with Chu Hernández and Joe Quijano. In 1958 he began his career as a professional musician by joining Quijano’s newly formed orchestra.

The next 7 years saw him turn into a trumpeter, guitarist and bassist for a great many heroes and heroines of Latin music, such as Willie Rosario, Charlie Palmieri, Ray Barreto’s Riverside Orchestra and Tito Rodríguez, besides writing arrangements for songs by Rosario and Willie Bobo. In 1965 he debuted with his own orchestra, with which he released two albums in that same year. The second album was released through the new record label, Fania, owned by musician Johnny Pacheco and lawyer Gerald "Jerry" Masucci.

Due to the fact that in the early sixties Valentín participated by arranging songs for Pacheco, it was only natural that he would edit his records with this new label. And despite the fact that Bobby Valentín moved to Puerto Rico in 1968 with his orchestra, he continued traveling frequently to New York to record for Fania, besides working and arranging songs for the label’s band Fania All-Stars, which he helped by defining their sound through their base, in classical records of the 70’s such as the Tribute to Tito Rodríguez or the live album in Yankee Stadium.

In 1978 he began recording for his own label, Bronco Records, through which he recorded "La boda de ella", a song which became one of the most important in his career. Despite the fact that that his collaboration with Fania continued well into the 90’s Valentin made sure to build up a considerable conglomerate of artists for his own label, including names of Willie Rosario and Orquesta Mulenze’s caliber. Currently, Valentin continues to tour with his band around the world, besides continuing his career as arranger, both in Puerto Rico and in New York, working with material by Willie Colon, Ismael Miranda and Cheo Feliciano, among many others.

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