Tito Puente

Tito Puente
Puente in 1998
Background information
Birth name	Ernesto Antonio Puente
Born	(1923-04-20)April 20, 1923 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	June 1, 2000(2000-06-01) (aged 77) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Latin jazz Afro-Cuban jazz mambo
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter record producer
Instruments	Timbales vibraphone
Years active	1946–2000
Labels	Tico Fania Sony Discos RMM Concord Picante

Ernesto Antonio "Tito" Puente (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000) was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was known as "The Musical Pope", "El Rey de los Timbales" (The King of the Timbales) and "The King of Latin Music".

He is best known for his Latin jazz works. He and his music appear in many movies such as The Mambo Kings and Fernando Trueba's Calle 54. He guest-starred on several television shows, including Sesame Street and The Simpsons. His most famous song is "Oye Como Va".