Monroig's parents moved from the countryside to the city in search of a better way of life and settled in the Villa Palmera sector of Santurce, a section of San Juan where the musical sounds of the bomba and plena and of the tango filled the air.

However, it was when the "Super Orchestra Tropicana" directed by Rafael Elvira [1] hired him that he received his first big break as a professional singer.

A favorite in New York played on Radio WADO was the hit single of a sexy bolero "Que Chevere" by singer/composer Miguel Poventud.

Monroig returned to New York and in 1964, he won his second Gold Record Award with "Simplemente Una Ilusión" (Simply an Illusion).

He was laid to rest in Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery, close to the remains of singers Pedro Flores, Daniel Santos and Rafael Hernández.