Ismael Miranda

Ismael Miranda aka “El niño bonito de la Salsa” (The pretty boy of Salsa) always wanted to be a musician, and by age 11 had already formed two groups: “The 4J’s and Little Junior” and “The Class Mates.” He sang and played conga for the group and they were good enough to appear on Jerry Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. Miranda also grew up and played in his first bands with Jazz percussionist Orlando “Q” Rodríguez and piano player Mark Diamond. In 1967, when Miranda was 17 years old, he made his recording debut and made such an impression on bandleader Larry Harlow, that he was hired as Larry’s lead singer. He later joined the Fania All Stars and went with this band on tour to Europe, Asia and Latin America. In 1973, he formed his own band called “Orquesta Revelación” and recorded “Así se compone un son” under the Fania record label. With this song, Miranda entered the new salsa craze which was sweeping the nation and was then baptized as “El Niño Bonito de la Salsa” ( ‘The Pretty Boy of Salsa”). He went on to launch his own record label “IM Records” and continues to perform nationally to this day.