Fania All-Stars

The legendary Fania All Stars became Fania Records’ iconic representative. The group was responsible for popularizing Salsa music in New York during the 1970s. The ensemble held concerts at big halls like the Yankee Stadium in Bronx and Greenwich Village’s Red Garter.

Some of the who’s who in Salsa music are with this legendary band: Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez, Bobby Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, and Ray Barretto.

They made several recordings and organized a number of concerts. To drum up interest in Salsa and increase album sales, Masucci thought of filming their live concerts and jamming sessions.

The group even went to Zaire in 1974 to be the opening act before the main event – the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. The following year, they filmed their appearance at the Yankee Stadium. The recording resulted in two records, “Live at Yankee Stadium” and “Salsa,” a movie that was released by Columbia Pictures in 1976.

Overall, Fania All Stars’ discography included 15 studio albums and 12 live albums as well as 4 DVDs of their live recordings. They remained active through the early part of the 1980s, although audiences were not drawn too much on Salsa anymore because Latinos were beginning to favor the merengue from the Dominican Republic. Fania All Stars continued to make appearances until the 1990s. The group is still active.

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