His phrasing had the unique boricua flavor that distinguishes every Puerto Rican singer from Ismael Rivera to Cheo Feliciano. The son of a carpenter and amateur musician, he was a native of Ponce and spent the first years of his life in la Isla del Encanto (The Enchanted Island), until his mother shipped him to New York in search of better horizons. Much like the Fania label itself, he found success by bridging together the worlds of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Other salsa vocalists like Hector Lavoe and La Lupe were edgier and more idiosyncratic. With a perennial smile of contentment in his face, The Count was always in control of the swing. True, he could be appropriately rough and gritty in the process of generating some serious salsa combustion, but he never lost his aristocratic demeanor in the process. No wonder they called him “The Count” – Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez was one of the most gentlemanly singers that Afro-Caribbean music has ever known.
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