Mexican-American percussionist Poncho Sanchez has been a mainstay in the music industry since he began his foray into sound as a teenager. Born in Laredo, Texas in 1951 and raised in a Los Angeles suburb, Poncho navigated the local live music scene while teaching himself the flute, guitar, timbales and congas. After a stint in his mentor Cal Tjader's band, he began making a name for himself with the release of his fourth studio album Sonando! in 1982. While known primarily as a Latin artist, the conga virtuoso has created a jazzy, funky, soulful sound that can't be pigeonholed into any one category -- his live shows and LPs blend elements of rock, swing, salsa, rumba and blues, just to name a few.
