Ismael Rivera

Ismael Rivera was born in Santuce, Puerto Rico, on October 5, 1931. When he was youg he was exposed to the influences that led him to his musical destiny. Firstly, his mother Margarita, kindled his love for music. And then, his childhood friend, Rafael Cortijo, gave Rivera the impulse and direction as well as a more structured musical discipline in order for him to obtain his vocal style. The relationship between the two resulted in the sounds of Calle Calma, and after Puerto Rico, it reached the world at large and would immortalize their names and music in the evolution of Latin music and salsa.

In 1954, Ismael Rivera and Cortijo recorded their first hit "El Bombón de Elena". Since the mid fifties, Cortijo and his combo, with Rivera as singer, took on the Caribbean. At the turn of the decade, they traveled to New York for the fist time and it did not take them long to solidify their position in the growing Latin music scene in Manhattan. Their popularity was due to their rhythmic sound and the ability to play great music and entertain with their dance routines at the same time.

However, the only factor separating Cortijo and his combo from all other Latin dance bands and songs was Rivera’s voice. A key ingredient for the sounds of the bomba and plena of Puerto Rico are the vocal parts and the Maelo voice. With a rhythmic but equally spontaneous voice, Ismael Rivera was a master of the Cuban son.
He took on the title "El Sonero Mayor" by none other than Beny Moré, legendary Cuban singer. The title not only enhanced Maelo’s great talent, but also showed how Latin music at that time was beginning to mix all the musical traditions of America in one: salsa. Ismael Rivera incarnates a mixture of the Puerto Rican bomba and plena traditions with the vocal style of the Cuban son.

After his successful trip to the U.S. however, Cortijo lost his singer when Rivera began to do prison time (5 years) due to drugs. Maelo later sang a song on his experience in prison, titled "Las Tumbas", due to the Kentucky prison which has various underground floors.

After four years, Rivera was anxious to get back to singing with Cortijo, but the clubs would not book shows with the Latin musician whose past they could not forget. Cortijo and Rivera were on a changed Latin musical scene which forced them to go their separate ways. "El Sonero Mayor", however, continued recording some of his best material with his own band, los Cachimbos, and showing that his talent was better than ever. In the seventies, Rivera was considered a legend from another time and he helped a few young musicians start out in the New York salsa scene, including Ismael Miranda and Rubén Blades.

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