The Bongo Page at RHYTHMWEB

Ray Romero

Special  thanks to  Jimmy Delgado (an excellent musician in his own right) for this bio on one of latin music's true greats

    Ray Romero was born in Ponce Puerto Rico in June of 1923. By 1935 he became a professional. He`s worked for Miguelito Valdes, Jose Curbelo Noro Marales, Chano Pozo, Eartha Kitt,  Tony Martin,Sammy Davis, Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puente, just to name a few. In the Jose Curbelo orch Ray played bongo, Tito Rodriguez sang, and Tito Puente played timbales. After he relocated to Puerto Rico in 1958 with his family he freelanced with the top orchestras on the island . He taught in his hometown of Catano. Besides playing with Jose Fajardo, he had his own jazz trio he of course on the drum set. Ray and this family return to New York in 1968 and joined the Eddie Palmieri which he recorded "JUSTICIA'  congas and bongo. You hear his  tasty timbal playing on three Ray Barretto albums ' THE OTHER ROAD'' '' ''INDESTRUTIABLE '' and '' BARRETTO ''  this is just a little history of the great RAY ROMERO,  or as some of his friends call him, LiL RAY.