Tito Puente

2022 - 10 - 10

Post cover — Image courtesy of "9to5Google"

Google Doodle honors Tito Puente, 'The King of Latin music' (9to5Google)

The latest Google Doodle is a musical tribute to Tito Puente, the songwriter and timbales player responsible for songs like "Oye Cómo Va."

You can even go [behind the scenes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-qakaF62ss) of the Doodle’s creation with some incredible footage of Puente himself. Of course, Puente never gave up his initial love of percussion, often performing on his signature instrument, the timbales — a style of drum set that is iconic to Latin American and particularly Cuban music. [Today’s Doodle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBzi6hRrkww) for Tito Puente is part of Google’s celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, which runs from September 15 to October 15. Tito Puente died on June 1, 2000 due to complications from a heart attack. Over the course of the 1950s, just as the United States was going through a “mambo craze,” Puente expertly delivered Latin and Afro-Cuban musical styles like cha-cha and son. In 1942, during World War II, Tito Puente was drafted into the United States Navy.

Tito Puente's Enduring Legacy Celebrated in New Animated Google ... (Billboard)

Also known as the "King of Latin Music," the iconic Nuyorican artist Tito Puente helped put Latin pop on the global map with his timeless hits that span ...

With his unmatched prowess on timbales and cheerful pan-Latin rhythms, Tito Puente rewrote the Latin pop playbook for half of the 20th century. Tito was a perfect example; he was the best!” He led his first orchestra in the late ‘40s, and by the 1950s, he became an unrivaled master of timbales and vibraphone. [Latin](https://www.billboard.com/t/latin/) rhythms, [Tito Puente](https://www.billboard.com/artist/tito-puente/) rewrote the Latin pop playbook for half of the 20th century. Featuring the lively “Ran Kan Kan,” the animated clip takes viewers back to Puente’s childhood at 110th Street and Third Avenue in Spanish Harlem, where the budding artist bangs on pots and pans in his room bedecked with a Puerto Rican flag. “Tito was part of my musical experience growing up in Puerto Rico.

Google Doodle Celebrates Tito Puente for Hispanic Heritage Month (CNET)

The legendary percussionist was influential in Latin jazz and helped popularize the Cuban dance music of mambo.

Puente collected dozens of honors and awards, including five Grammys during his lifetime as well as a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Tuesday's animated Doodle opens with a young Puente drumming on pans in his home neighborhood of Spanish Harlem in the 1920s and '30s. Puente also portrayed himself in the movie The Mambo Kings, a 1992 drama about two musician brothers who flee Cuba for New York.

Who is Tito Puente? Google Doodle honors artist for Hispanic ... (HITC)

Google Doodle is celebrating Tito Puente's life with an animated video in the honor of U.S Hispanic Heritage month.

The Harlem street where he grew up was also renamed after him – as Tito Puente Way – in his honor. It gives the viewers a glimpse of his life and musical journey that redefined several genres, while also showing how he helped Caribbean styles like guaracha, boogaloo, salsa and mambo among others gain worldwide recognition. He reportedly introduced a scholarship fund in 1979 that supported young and promising Latin percussionists for over 20 years.

Who Was Tito Puente and How Did He Die? Google Doodle ... (Newsweek)

The Doodle illustrator said, "Tito was like a Svengali for talents like Celia Cruz. He was a household name. So Tito was part of my Puerto Rican soundtrack.

After his death, 110th Street was renamed Tito Puente Way. Tito Puente was a Latin musician, songwriter, bandleader, producer and percussionist. He was born Ernest Antonio Puente Jr. So Tito was part of my Puerto Rican soundtrack." He was a household name. My aunt introduced me to Tito Puente via La Lupe, a famous singer in Puerto Rico and New York.

Google Doodle celebrates Tito Puente - with video honouring 'King ... (The Scotsman)

Latin music legend Tito Puente features in today's Google Doodle – in honour of the Hispanic Heritage month in the US.

The video shows his rise to fame, ending on the street named in his honour and his face amongst the stars. The animation also shows a young Punete banging on pots and pans in his room bedecked with a Puerto Rican flag. In 1969, he was bestowed the key to New York City.