If you know how to salsa (or even if you've eaten the stuff at Mexican restaurants) chances are you've heard the upbeat and exuberant music of Gilberto Santa Rosa, one of Puerto Rico's longest-reigning salsa musicians. Dabbling in all kinds of Latin music styles while dominating the tropical/salsa charts, Santa Rosa has worked his entire life to give global audiences their fill of his celebratory music.

El Caballero de la Salsa ("the Gentleman of Salsa") grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, feasting on 1950s and ‘60s salsa music, and he began getting serious about performing at age 10. Santa Rosa made his musical debut at age 12 by performing during a television special about Three Kings Day, and eventually the Latin crooner become one of the Puerto Rico All Stars, releasing Borinquen Flame in 1977 while palling around with other musical legends. 1981 to 1986 became a trivial time for Santa Rosa, who was a backup singer for Willie Rosario at the time. A solo career with Combo Records eventually came knocking, and Santa Rosa began achieving his musical aspirations.

1986's Good Vibrations was Santa Rosa's solo debut, and by 1988's De Amor y Salsa, the vocalist was well-known for his romantic salsa music and lively dance tracks. Major labels started seeking out the salsa extraordinaire, and he eventually signed to CBS Discos, which would help get his music internationally recognized. Santa Rosa produced a string of number one hits throughout the 1990s, and songs like "Yo No Te Pido," "Dejate Querer" and "Que Alguien Me Diga" solidified the impressive singer's stay on the salsa charts. A number of romantic hit songs came in the early 2000s, and albums like 2001's Romántico and 2004's Auténtico showed he could switch his musical style beautifully. While Santa Rosa is still performing today, his most recent accomplishment is 2006's Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album of the Year.