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Ray Santos

1928 – 2019

American musician

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About Ray Santos

Lived 1928 – 2019 (aged 90). Ray Santos was an American saxophonist, composer and musician.

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.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Juilliard School, Haaren High School
Awards
Latin Grammy Trustees Award; International Latin Music Hall of Fame
Also known as
Raymond Santos

People in Ray Santos's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ray Santos's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ray Santos?

American musician

When was Ray Santos born?

Ray Santos was born on 28 December 1928 in New York City.

When did Ray Santos die?

Ray Santos died on 17 October 2019 in New York City.

What was Ray Santos's occupation?

Ray Santos was a saxophonist, composer and musician.

What nationality was Ray Santos?

Ray Santos was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ray Santos

· Wikidata: Q7298066

· DBpedia: Ray Santos

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ray Santos. https://biography.guide/ray-santos/

MLA: "Ray Santos." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ray-santos/.

Chicago: "Ray Santos." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ray-santos/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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