El Gran Combo

El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a salsa orchestra, also known as La Universidad de la Salsa (The University of Salsa). Founded in May 1962 by Rafael Ithier, the group celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012 with a grand world tour spanning five continents. Their 60th anniversary in 2022 was marked with a feature on Norberto Vélez's YouTube channel "Sesiones Desde La Loma Ep. 32". Ithier, the only remaining member from the original lineup, served as the musical director until his passing in 2025. Their first album, "Menéame los mangos," was released on November 20, 1963, and their album "Acángana" became a number-one hit in New York City, Panama, and Puerto Rico, reaching gold status.

In 1967, El Gran Combo's album "Boogaloo con el Gran Combo" also reached gold status, and in 1969 they were awarded an Agüeybana de Oro in Puerto Rico. They were inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and received the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Past performances include a 1973 appearance at Yankee Stadium as the opening act for the Fania All-Stars, two sold-out concerts in 2002 at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, to celebrate their 40th anniversary, and two massive concerts at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in 2007 to commemorate their 45th anniversary.

They released the hit album "Arroz con Habichuela" in 2006 and in 2011, they rewrote the lyrics to their own song "No Hago Más Ná" to "Echar Pa'lante" which promotes the virtues of work. El Gran Combo's influence in the genre is reflected in the title La Universidad de la Salsa. They have had 22 entries in the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and have released numerous albums, including "En Cuarentena" in 2021. The group has been honored with the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award in 2017, and continues to actively perform.