Legacy of Johnny Pacheco

Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, known professionally as Papa Wemba, was a Congolese singer, songwriter, bandleader, actor, and cultural icon. Widely hailed as the "King of Rumba", he is regarded as one of the most influential African musicians. Across a career spanning nearly five decades, he propelled Congolese rumba onto the world stage, and helped globalize African popular music. Through his voice, performance style, and fashion, he shaped the sound and image of contemporary Congolese culture, becoming a central figure in the rise of La SAPE, the flamboyant movement of elegance and style. Wemba is often considered one of the greatest African vocalists and performers of all time.

Fulanito is an American musical group based in Washington Heights in New York City. The group combines traditional merengue with elements of other genres such as house, hip hop, and bachata among others. With over five million albums sold throughout the world, they were at one time the top selling act in Colombia, and were placed on other charts including those of Japan, Switzerland, United States, and Chile. Their name means "Little John Doe" in Spanish. Members of Fulanito had previously been in popular groups such as 740 Boyz and 2 in a Room.

Luis Enrique Mejía López is a Nicaraguan-American singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as "El Príncipe de la Salsa". A grammy-award-winning artist, he has released over 20 albums and achieved widespread success, including his single "Yo No Sé Mañana" which was awarded a Latin Grammy Award for "Best Tropical Song".

Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Latin jazz. His first hit, "El Watusi", was recorded by his Charanga Moderna in 1962, becoming the most successful pachanga song in the United States. In the late 1960s, Barretto became one of the leading exponents of boogaloo and what would later be known as salsa. Nonetheless, many of Barretto's recordings would remain rooted in more traditional genres such as son cubano. A master of the descarga, Barretto was a long-time member of the Fania All-Stars. His success continued into the 1970s with songs such as "Cocinando" and "Indestructible". His last album for Fania Records, Soy dichoso, was released in 1990. He then formed the New World Spirit jazz ensemble and continued to tour and record until his death in 2006. He is the father of American vocalist and saxophonist Chris Barretto, best known for being the former singer of progressive metal bands Monuments and Periphery.

Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso, known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname La Guarachera de Cuba. In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to her contributions to Latin music. She sold over 30 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists.