Ricardo "Richie" Ray (born February 15, 1945) is a Nuyorican (a New York-born Puerto Rican) virtuoso pianist, singer, music arranger, composer and religious minister known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz.
Ray (birth name: Richard Maldonado Morales [note 1]) was born in Brooklyn, New York City of Puerto Rican parents.
The album included the outstanding hit songs "Mambo Jazz", "Comején", "Viva Richie Ray", "El Mulato", "Suavito", "Pa' Chismoso Tú" and the bolero-cha "Si Te Contaran".
He was a part of Tico/Alegre Records until 1970, and during that time he produce such hits as "Richie's Jala Jala", "Mr. Trumpet Man", "Señor Embajador", "Agúzate" (Gold Record Award winner), "Amparo Arrebato", "Traigo de Todo", and the Spanish version of Claude François 's "Comme d'habitude", called "A Mi Manera" in reference to Frank Sinatra's version "My Way".
The band scored a number one hit with the song "Colorín Colorado", while "El Diferente", "Feria En Manizales" and "Ay, Compay!
[1] In 1970, Ray and Cruz left New York and moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for professional and personal reasons.
This album also included his most impressive and well-known hit called "Sonido Bestial", which has a Latin-flavoured arrangement of Chopin's Etude Opus 10/No.
[1] In 1974 The Dynamic Duo won the title "The Kings Of Salsa" at the "Coliseo Roberto Clemente" in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
For a period of 12 hours, 24 bands had competed for the coveted title, and Ray and Cruz emerged triumphant.
They followed with Viven in 1977, De Nuevo 'Los Durísimos' Again (1980), and their final release on Vaya Records, Los Inconfundibles (1987), in which Ray and Cruz announced their retirement from Salsa music.
[2] Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz lost most of their fans and found opposition among the members of their own faith when they suggested the idea of Christian salsa.
They also created some new ones, like "Los Fariseos", "Timoteo", and "Sipriano" The sincerity of their Christian beliefs was not just conveyed in their music.
During "retirement", however, both Cruz and Ray released albums with previously recorded numbers and with other bands or singers.
[2] In 2000, Ray and Cruz held a series of concerts that were completely sold out at the Antonio Paoli Hall of the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center in San Juan.
That year, they also recorded a CD and DVD titled "A lifetime of hits" (live at Centro de Bellas Artes, San Juan, Puerto Rico) which was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the "Best Contemporary Tropical Album" category.
Ray is still considered along with Eddie Palmieri and Papo Lucca as one of the best and most influential pianists of all time in Salsa music.
On August 16, 2008, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz celebrated 45 years in the musical business, with a concert at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum.