Andy Montañez

Known as El Godfather de la Salsa, Puerto Rican bolero singer/songwriter legend

Featuring 6pm dance workshop “Rhythm & Power: ¡Dance Nueva York!” in association with the Museum of the City of New York

Andy Montanez

Andrés “Andy” Montañez is a native of the Tras Talleres area of Santurce, San Juan. Spanning many decades of exuberant salsa joyfulness, he’s internationally known by the sobriquets “El Godfather de la Salsa” and “El Niño De Trastalleres.” He first gained fame as a member of the globally successful El Gran Combo group, with songs like “Hojas blancas” (White Leaves), “Un verano en N.Y.” (A Summer in NY), “El barbero loco” (The Crazy Barber), “Julia”, “Ponme el alcolado, Juana” (Rub Me With Alcohol), “Vagabundo” (Bum), “El Swing”, and many more vibrant hits. He remained with the group for about fifteen years, recording a stunning thirty seven LPs. He left El Gran Combo and joined the Venezuelan group La Dimension Latina. Montañez then enjoyed considerable success on with his own orchestra, repeatedly touring Latin America and the United States. He represented Puerto Rico at the 1992 World’s Fair in Seville, Spain. In recent years he has teamed up with fellow salsa singer Ismael Miranda to produce some boleros and bohemian music. Around 2005 he formed a new mix of salsa and reggaeton, called salsaton. In 2006, Montañez won his first Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Album, together with Pablo Milanés. He was selected to form part of a benefit concert titled “Somos Haití,” to provide relief. In 2015, Montañez appeared on Puerto Rican singer Ivy Queen’s ninth studio album Vendetta. He continues to perform with unrivaled salsa-infused flare.