Charlie Palmieri

Charlie Palmieri was a renowned bandleader and pianist who rose to prominence during the 1960s as one of a small group of artists who promoted Latino dance music crazes such as Charanga and Boogaloo to American audiences. He was of Puerto Rican origin but was born and raised in the Bronx where he studied music at the famous Juilliard School. His first major break came at the age of 20 when he was hired by the bandleader Tito Puente to perform at the Copacabana nightclub where he subsequently held a residency for six years. During the 1960s Palmieri played for numerous Latino bands and he was often billed as the 'Giant of the Keyboards'. Towards the end of the decade he had three significant hits which brought him fame around the globe, 'Tengo Máquina y Voy a 60' in 1967 and 'Hay Que Estar En Algo' and 'Latin Bugalú' in 1968. For the rest of his career Palmieri remained a major force in Latin music until in 1988 when he suffered a heart attack shortly after arriving in New York to play a live performance and the following day passed away. He was 60-years-old when he died and left a recording legacy of more than 30 albums.

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