Ismael Rivera: the eternal Sonero mayor

Abstract

This article shows a biographical and musical overview of the Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, Ismael Rivera, “El Sonero Mayor”. Based on his life, the text provides key insights in order to understand the emergence of salsa as a musical genre; it also reviews some milestones in the history of this genre. It concludes that Rivera's participation in the island and continental musical scene constituted a revolution that diminished the social borders of cultural exclusion. Ismael Rivera’s musical style is characterized by an important popular understanding and a high capacity for improvisation.