The band -- founded by the late Rafael Ithier -- has placed more than 40 songs on the Tropical Airplay chart, including 15 top 10s.

Leading the acclaimed salsa group El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, he brought the music of his native island to a worldwide ...

Rafael Ithier, the dynamic and congenial Puerto Rican pianist and bandleader who founded renown salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and was its leader for decades, died Sunday (Dec. 7) in Puerto ...

Rafael Ithier, leader of the salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, has died, The Associated Press reports. He was 99. The news was confirmed by an attorney for the Ithier family, Víctor Rivera, to ...

Founded in 1962 by Ithier, who was for many years the pianist and musical director of the orchestra, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico was born out of the breakup of Rafael Cortijo y su Combo, with some ...

The venerated bandleader, dead at 99 years old, inspired generations, from Bad Bunny to Marc Anthony. By Leila Cobo Chief Content Officer Latin/Español, Billboard Rafael Ithier, the dynamic and ...