Founded in 1962 by Ithier, who was for many years the pianist and musical director of the orchestra, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico was born out of the breakup of Rafael Cortijo y su Combo, with some ...

Rafael Ithier, the dynamic and congenial Puerto Rican pianist and bandleader who founded renown salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and was its leader for decades, died Sunday (Dec. 7) in Puerto ...

Puerto Rico-Obit-Rafael Ithier FILE - Rafael Ithier of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards presentation at the Ka ...

Rafael Ithier, leader of the salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, has died, The Associated Press reports. He was 99. The news was confirmed by an attorney for the Ithier family, Víctor Rivera, to ...

The band -- founded by the late Rafael Ithier -- has placed more than 40 songs on the Tropical Airplay chart, including 15 top 10s. By Sigal Ratner-Arias Deputy Editor, Billboard Español The founder ...

Puerto Rico Salsa Giant Rafael Ithier, Who Led El Gran Combo for More Than Half a Century, Dies SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Rafael Ithier, a beloved musician and a founder of the legendary salsa band ...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Rafael Ithier, a beloved musician and a founder of the legendary salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, whose hits have inspired Bad Bunny and other icons from the U.S.