Artists like Ray Barretto

Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez, better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Widely regarded as one of salsa's most important and influential vocalists, Lavoe played a pivotal role in popularizing the genre throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. His charismatic persona and artistic vision propelled him to become one of the most successful Latin music artists of all time.

Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco, known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New York salsa scene in the 1960s and 1970s as the founder and musical director of Fania Records.

Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. His biggest hit was his rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz, before retiring in the late 1990s.

Grupo Niche is a salsa group founded in 1978 in Bogotá, Colombia. It enjoys great popularity throughout Latin America. It was founded by Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano. Varela remained with the group throughout his life, serving as producer, director, songwriter, vocalist, and guiro player. Alexis Lozano, trombone player and arranger later left to form Orquesta Guayacán. The group also included Nicolas Cristancho "Macabi" on the piano, Francisco Garcia "Porky" on the bass, Luis Pacheco, on the congas, and vocalists Jorge Bazán and Hector Viveros.

José Antonio Torresola Ruiz, better known as Frankie Ruiz, was an American singer. He was a major figure in the salsa romántica subgenre that was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Bataan Nitollano, also known as Joe Bataan, is a Filipino-American Latin soul singer, songwriter and musician best known world-wide and in the Hispanic and Latino music scene as the "King of Latin Soul".

Álvaro Arroyo González was a Colombian salsa and tropical music singer, composer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest performers of Caribbean and salsa music in his country and across Latin America. In 2018, Billboard counted Arroyo's song "La Rebelión" as one of the "15 Best Salsa Songs Ever".