Throwback: Happy 103rd Birthday, Tito Puente!

It’s April 2026. We’re at war with Iran. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about birthright citizenship. The global economy is on a slow-burn collapse. Everything is awesome. Oh, and he’s still alive. 

But we still have music, friends and community, y’all. And hopefully JOVM offers a bit of respite in our mad, mad, mad world. 

So while I do focus on new music, there’s always room to celebrate our legends — both living and departed. 

• The Isley Brothers‘ co-founder Rudolph Isley was born 87 years ago on April 1
• Gil Scott-Heron was born 77 years ago on April 1
• The legendary Marvin Gaye was born 87 years ago on April 2
• Bella Union Records founder and label head, singer/songwriter, musician and Cocteau Twins‘ Simon Raymonde celebrated his 64th birthday on April 3
• Jill Scott celebrated her 54th birthday on April 4
• David Roback, one-half of acclaimed and beloved dream pop duo Mazzy Star was born 68 years ago on April 4
• The legendary  Muddy Waters was born 113 years ago on April 4
• Smash-hit producer, songwriter and artist Pharrell Williams celebrated his 53rd birthday on April 5
• Robert Glasper celebrated his 48th birthday on April 6
• Merle Haggard was born 89 years ago on April 6
• John Oates, best known for his work with the blue-eyed soul duo Hall & Oates one of the most commercially successful duos ever, celebrated his 77th birthday on April 7
• Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider was born 79 years ago on April 7
• The legendary and incomparable Billie Holiday was born 111 years ago on April 7
• The legendary Biz Markie was born 62 years ago on April 8
• Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds celebrated his 67th birthday on April 10
• A Tribe Called Quest‘s Q-Tip celebrated his 56th birthday on April 10
• The legendary and pioneering Herbie Hancock celebrated his 86th birthday on April 12
• Echo & The Bunnymen‘s Will Sergeant celebrated his 68th birthday on April 12
• The legendary Al Green celebrated his 80th birthday on April 13 
• Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien celebrated his 58th birthday on April 15
• Midnight Oil‘s frontman Peter Garrett celebrated his 73rd birthday on April 16
• The Empress of the Blues, Bessie Smith was born 134 years ago on April 16
• Liz Phair, one of the most beloved singer/songwriters of the 90s and early 00s celebrated her 59th birthday on April 17
• Redman, one of the most dynamic, entertaining and wildly talented emcees to ever spit a bar celebrated his 56th birthday on April 17
• Luther Vandross, one of the greatest male R&B vocalists to ever live was born on this day 75 years ago
• Legendary vibraphonist, percussionist, composer and bandleader Lionel Hampton was born on this day 118 years ago

The legendary El Rey de los Timbales, “The King of the Timbales,” Tito Puente was born on this day 103 years ago. Puente was instrumental in the popularization of mambo, son and Cuban Jazz in the 1950s and of Latin jazz in general.

Carlos Santana, Julio Iglesias, Celia Cruz and a list of others have covered his “Oyé Cómo Va,” turning the song into a Latin music standard.

And if you were conscious any time between the 1970s – 1990s or so, you would have seen the legend in a number of TV shows including Sesame Street, The Cosby Show, The Simpsons — and he made appearances in several movies including The Mambo Kings and Calle 54 among others.

Happy birthday, legend! Happy birthday, wherever you are!

__

The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work. 

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.

If you can give more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement. 

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all. 

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work. 

You can follow me on the following social platforms:

X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent 

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.