[1] Puntillita was active in the 1940s and 1950s, and later gained notice when he joined other elderly Cuban musicians to form the Afro-Cuban All Stars and the associated group of singers who recorded the Buena Vista Social Club with American guitarist Ry Cooder.
He went on to achieve huge popularity in the 1950s as a soloist on Radio Cadena Habana.
In Mexico City he performed at El Patio, singing with Celia Cruz and Beny Moré.
In the 1990s, Juan de Marcos González approached Puntillita to join the Afro-Cuban All Stars, which featured many musicians from Havana's pre-revolutionary era.
Puntillita was also later asked by Gonzalez to appear with Ry Cooder in the Buena Vista Social Club.