Rafael Cortijo
Rafael Antonio Cortijo Verdejo (December 11, 1928 – October 3, 1982) was a Puerto Rican musician, bandleader, and percussion maker who helped shape salsa and Afro-Caribbean music. He grew up in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and loved Caribbean sounds. He even learned to make his own congas and panderos, the drums used in bomba and plena.
As a young musician, Cortijo played bongo with Conjunto Monterey in 1942 and appeared on radio with Trío Matamoros. His big break came in 1954 when he joined Rafael Ithier and the group that would be known as Cortijo y su Combo, alongside the singer Ismael Rivera (Maelo). Rivera later joined Cortijo’s orchestra as lead singer in 1955. The group became famous on Puerto Rican television, and they were the first Black Puerto Rican band to appear on the island’s TV.
Cortijo also started another group called El Bonche, where his niece Fe Cortijo sang and Marvin Santiago joined later. With El Bonche, Santiago contributed to songs that helped launch his own solo career.
The band and Rivera later moved to New York. In 1962, Rivera was arrested for drug possession, and the group effectively broke up; Cortijo regretted the episode for the rest of his life. Afterward, Cortijo helped inspire new generations of musicians, while Ismael Rivera continued to be a major figure in Latin music.
In the 1970s, Cortijo made a comeback with arrangements by Pepe Castillo for the album His Time Machine y su Máquina del Tiempo. In 1974, Coco Records brought together former Cortijo y su Combo members for a one-off concert and studio recording, creating a sound that fused Latin folklore with jazz.
Rafael Cortijo gained fame across Latin America for his powerful percussion. He died of pancreatic cancer on October 3, 1982, in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He is buried in Cementerio San José in San Juan and was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:23 (CET).