Born on October 22, 1950 to Puerto Rican parents in Manhattan, Wayne Gorbea studied violin orchestration and trumpet in high school as well as participating in many percussion rumba sessions.
After joining the army in 1968, he taught himself piano and after being discharged from service he returned to New York City where he led several bands and made his debut recording in 1973.
He went onto release several standout albums in the 1970s, inaugurate his own WayneGo label in 1980 and produce numerous albums with Shanachie in the 1990s. All that time he remained true to his classic salsa dura sound.
and today his music is better recorded than ever and he is producing tunes that are longer and richer in texture and variety.
Wayne Gorbea died on September 14, 2015 in New York City,
Discography:
Cógele el Gusto (Shanachie Records, 1998)
¡Saboreando! Salsa Dura en el Bronx (Shanachie Records, 2000)
Fiesta en el Bronx (Shanachie Records, 2002)
Live from New York (Reyes Records, 2004)
Prakatun, Cogele el Gusto Otra Vez (Wayne Gorbea’s Salsa Picante, 2006)
Introducing Wayne Gorbea’s Salsa Picante (World Music Network, 2007)
Salsa Boricua (SMC Pro Arte, 2012)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
