Rey is predominantly known as a crooner, with a versatile range including romantic ballads, boleros, waltz, salsa, merengues, bossa novas, blues, and jazz.
Antolín Soler, Rey's biological father and a noted Dominican güira player, had little or no contact with his son in his early years, but they have since established a relationship.
Rey worked as a shoeshine boy as a child, selling saint's images, candy, cornbread cooked by his mother, and tickets for the National Lottery.
He went back to Argentina every year to record with musical arrangers including Raul Parentella, Bubby Lavecchia, Jorge Calandrelli, Oscar Cardoso Ocampo, and Horacio Malvicino.
After a break from recording for several years, Rey establishes a Merengue orchestra under his own name, in association with producers George and Mike Rodriguez, owners of the Sonidiscos label from the Dominican Republic.