There are many misconceptions about salsa music history and its true origin. For this reason, I decided to write about my favorite Latin music genre for this week’s Cultural Tidbits Monday. Additionally, I have included some of my favorite salsa music videos for you to spice up your travel playlists. Enjoy! 😀

Salsa music history: From Cuba or Puerto Rico? Settle already!

As a Latina, I StumbleUpon this debate all the time: Did salsa music originated in Cuba or in Puerto Rico? I’ve seen Cubans and Puerto Ricans alike go head-to-head about who is right, who can take credit for this amazing contribution to Latin music and culture. The truth of the matter is, neither is 100% right.

Salsa music history can be traced back to New Yoricans (Nuyoricans), or Puerto Ricans living in New York City, in the early 70s. While it was very common for any type of Latin music to be categorized as “salsa” (even mariachis!) since the 30s, it wasn’t until Johnny Pacheco, creative director and producer for Fania Records, fine-tuned a balanced mix of Latin sounds and created what we know as salsa music today. Back then though, the Fania sound was known as New York salsa.

Yes, Cubans will still scoff at the term and say that salsa was/is nothing more than a mix of old Cuban sounds. However, many fail to acknowledge that the salsa genre we know today was truly a mix of Cuban and other Caribbean sounds — thus the term (salsa = sauce, a concoction of ingredients). Even musicians that only played Cuban music changed the name of their genre to salsa “as a financial necessity” (Wikipedia, salsa music).

Salsa music videos: Travel playlist ideas

Heading to the Caribbean or Latin America soon? I recommend you add these explosive salsa mixes to your travel playlist! They come directly from my personal favorites collection 😉

Héctor Lavoe tribute by Mark Anthony, from the acclaimed film El Cantante. I recommend you download the entire album! But my favorite track is definitely “Aguanile”. No salsa music history article is ever complete without it. You may listen to it at the beginning of the video:

Another classic salsa music history group that has been around for decades is El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. I had the privilege to have them play at one of my proms in high school while living in the island. Superb! This is what I would call top-shelf salsa music 😉

What did you know about salsa music history before reading this post?