Ray Santos

Raymond Santos (December 28, 1928 – October 17, 2019) was an American Grammy Award-winning Latin musician, composer, and educator. Santos has played and arranged for such artists as Noro Morales, Machito, Tito Rodriguez, Eddie Palmieri, and Tito Puente among many others. He was nicknamed El Maestro. Santos attended Juilliard School and graduated in 1952.

Career

Santos started his career in music playing Latin-inspired big band music in the 1950s. He played with bands in the Catskills and at the Palladium in New York City.

Santos served as music consultant and arranger for the soundtrack of the motion picture The Mambo Kings. He arranged the Oscar-nominated song Beautiful Maria of My Soul. He arranged and directed the orchestra for Linda Ronstadt's Frenesí album, for which he won a Grammy.

Santos taught at the City College of New York for over 20 years, directing the Latin Band. He retired from City College in December 2013 at the age of 84.

Santos arranged Jon Secada's album To Beny Moré With Love. In 2018, Santos contributed arrangements to Eddie Palmieri's Mi Luz Mayor album.

He died on October 17, 2019, at age 90.