Ray Sepúlveda is a salsa singer born in Brooklyn, New York of Puertorrican descent. He recorded three albums with Orchestra Sociedad 76 in the late 1970s and two albums forming the Johnny & Ray Orchestra (Salsa con Clase) in the late 1980s before launching a solo career in the early 1990s. Sepúlveda grew up in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, where his father, Ramon Sepúlveda, sang

boleros Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...

with his group Trio Los Romanticos. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Puerto Rico, where Sepúlveda sang with local groups in Mayaguez, including Orquesta La Justicia & Orquesta La Dictadora with

Frankie Ruiz José Antonio Torresola Ruiz, better known as Frankie Ruiz (March 10, 1958 – August 9, 1998), was a Puerto Rican singer. He was a major figure in the salsa romántica subgenre that was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. During his youth, ...

. In 1977 he returned to New York and recorded with Orquesta Sociedad 76 with Johnny Zamot and was part of that band for four years and recorded three albums. In early 1983 he worked with

Adalberto Santiago Adalberto Santiago (born April 23, 1937) is an internationally known salsa singer. Career Born April 23, 1937, in Pozas barrio, Ciales, Puerto Rico, Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are among the best in the salsa genre of Latin ...

. He left music from late 1983 until the middle of 1988, when he and Zamot formed the group Johnny & Ray. Their first album, ''Salsa Con Clase'', featured the hit singles "Mi amor, amor", "Mascarada", "Es Mi mujer", "Sin Saber", and "Margarita". The second Johnny & Ray album included the hit singles, "Bandolera", "Mientete", "Una Mujer como tu" and "Ahora me toca a Mi". Sepúlveda's solo career started in 1991 with the album ''Un Poquito Mas'', produced by Sergio George for Sony/ RMM Records. In 1992 ''Con Sabor'' reached the Latin ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' charts. In 1993 he participated in the "Familia RMM Combinacion Perfecta Album" recording a duet with Johnny Rivera titled "No Vale La Pena" which became one of the biggest International Hits of the production. In 1994 ''Llegaste Tú'', produced by Julito Alvarado and recorded in Puerto Rico, 1997 ''De Todo Un Poco'', produced by Ricky Gonzalez and he returned in 1999 with another hit single, "Eres" in an album titled ''¡Salsabor!'' This album was produced in Puerto Rico by Luis Garcia. Singles Allmusic

Discography

* ''Salsa Con Clase'' with Johnny & Ray ( Polygram, 1988) * ''Night Gold'' with Johnny & Ray (Polygram, 1989) * ''Un Poquito Más'' ( RMM, 1991) * ''Con Sabor'' (RMM 1992) * ''Combinación Perfecta'' with Familia RMM (RMM, 1993) * ''Llegaste Tú'' (RMM 1994) * ''De Todo Un Poco'' (RMM, 1997) * ''¡Salsabor!'' (RMM, 1999)

Compilations

*''Los Maestros de la Salsa'' (Solo Album, 1996) *''Lo Mejor de Ray Sepúlveda: Éxitos, Solo Éxitos'' (Solo Album, 2000)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sepulveda, Ray American male singers American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Living people Salsa musicians Singers from Brooklyn Musicians from the Bronx Year of birth missing (living people) RMM Records artists