Tito Puentes
Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was a Puerto Rican musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also known as “El Rey de los Timbales,” or “The King of the Timbales.” Puente and his music have appeared in films including The Mambo Kings and Fernando Trueba's Calle 54. He guest-starred on television shows, including Sesame Street and The Simpsons episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns?". |
Birth and Death Data: Born New York City (most populous city in the United States), Died June 1, 2000 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1940 - 1956
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, drums, composer, conga, timbales, songwriter, arranger
Notes: Tito Puente, born in 1923 as Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr. in New York City, is also credited in sources as E. Puente, E. Puentes, Ernest Puente, Ernesto Puente, and is known as El Rey del Timbal. Do not confuse with Cuban jazz trumpeter Ernesto Tito Puentes (1928-2017).
See Also: El Rey del Timbal
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-63 of 63 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | D9FB-2582 | 10-in. | 11/23/1949 | Timbal y bongó | Conjunto Tito Puente | Instrumental ensemble | leader, composer, instrumentalist, drums | |
| Victor | D9FB-2583 | 10-in. | 11/23/1949 | Tito timbero | Conjunto Tito Puente | Instrumental ensemble | leader, instrumentalist, drums | |
| Victor | D9FB-2584 | 10-in. | 11/23/1949 | Ran-kan-kan | Conjunto Tito Puente | Instrumental ensemble | composer, leader, instrumentalist, drums | |
| Victor | D9FB-2750 | 10-in. | 12/9/1949 | Tú no sabe hablar | Conjunto del Ritmo [Angel Rosa] ; Angel Rosa | Vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Victor | D9FB-2751 | 10-in. | 12/9/1949 | Soy feliz | Conjunto del Ritmo [Angel Rosa] ; Angel Rosa | Vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Victor | D9FB-2752 | 10-in. | 12/9/1949 | Aunque muera ya | Conjunto del Ritmo [Angel Rosa] ; Angel Rosa | Vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Victor | D9FB-2753 | 10-in. | 12/9/1949 | Camará | Conjunto del Ritmo [Angel Rosa] ; Angel Rosa | Vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Victor | CU-456 | 10-in. | before 9/5/1950 | Juaniquita | Conjunto René Alvarez | Instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Columbia | CO27372 | 10-in. | 5/28/1940 | No quiero que vuelvas : Bolero son | Johnny Rodríguez y su Orquesta Stork Club | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Riviera | P-10010 | 10-in. | 1948-1956 | Tito's mambo | Orquesta Tropical ; Tito Puente | composer, leader | ||
| Riviera | P-10011 | 10-in. | 1948-1956 | Baile Simón | Orquesta Tropical ; Tito Puente | leader, arranger | ||
| Riviera | P-10013 | 10-in. | 1948-1956 | Abaniquito | Orquesta Tropical ; Tito Puente | leader | ||
| Riviera | P-10014 | 10-in. | 1948-1956 | Qué rico el mambo (mambo jambo) | Orquesta Tropical ; Tito Puente | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Puente, Tito," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104659.
Puente, Tito. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104659.
"Puente, Tito." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Tito Puente
Discogs: Tito Puentes
Allmusic: Tito Puentes
Apple Music: Tito Puentes
RILM: Tito Puentes
IMDb: Tito Puentes
Britannica: Tito Puentes
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Puente, Tito, 1923-2000 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84143157
Wikidata: Tito Puente - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q317122
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/14959344
MusicBrainz: Tito Puente - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f19ad155-d809-4770-ab8d-7579467d9f55
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/145234 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/145234
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