Poncho Sánchez

Poncho Sánchez (born Filoberto Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American conguero(conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the Concord Picante album Latin Soul. Sanchez has performed with artists including Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaría, Hugh Masekela, Clare Fischer, and Tower of Power.

The youngest of eleven children, Poncho Sanchez was born in Laredo, Texas and reared in Norwalk, California, while he attended Cerritos College. Growing up, he was exposed to and influenced by two different styles of music: Afro-Cuban music (mambo, son, cha-cha, rumba, guaracha, and Changui) by Tito Puente and others, and bebop jazz, including the works of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

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