Frankie Ruiz
| Frankie Ruiz | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | José Antonio Torresola Ruiz |
| Born |
March 10, 1958 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | August 9, 1998 (aged 40) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Salsa |
| Years active | 1971–1998 |
| Labels |
Rodven Records PolyGram |
| Associated acts | Orquesta La Solución, Tommy Olivencia |
José Antonio Torresola Ruiz (March 10, 1958 – August 9, 1998), better known as Frankie Ruiz, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. He was a major figure in the salsa romántica subgenre that was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. During his youth, he developed a passion for percussion, later confessing that this would have been his second choice after singing. While still in his 30s he became known as El Papá de la Salsa (The Father of Salsa).
Fan reaction to his work was diverse. Within the Latino community he was regarded as "one of the best salseros ever", and Puerto Ricans in the diaspora were particularly fond of it because it brought back memories of their homeland. Among non-Latinos, some admitted that his music had been responsible for their interest in salsa as a genre and even the Spanish language.
As salsa moved closer to pop music, and toned down the eroticism in its lyrics during the 1990s, Ruiz was challenged, along with other salsa romántica performers, but he managed to record a number of hits during his late career. He suffered from years of drug and alcohol abuse. His personal shortcomings were exploited by the tabloid media but had little impact on his popularity. In 1998, Ruiz died due to complications from liver disease.
Known to his relatives as El Canito, a reference to his fair skin and light hair, Ruiz was born in Paterson, New Jersey to Puerto Rican parents who had moved from Puerto Rico to the United States. After his birth, his grandmother Concepción took responsibility for him as his mother was 15 years old. He grew up in the country, and Union City, with brothers Viti and Junito, raised by his parents Frank Torresola and Hilda Ruiz. He received his primary and secondary school education in Paterson, where his father served as education commissioner.
At the age of 5, Ruiz played percussion instruments at the Roberto Clemente Park in Paterson and at other city venues. One of these performances earned him an award at a show held at the Majestic Theater in Paterson. When he was around 7 years old, he began to exhibit the first signs of his future career, memorizing and singing songs with theatricality. In his youth, Ruiz's father had been a musician and had witnessed several of his colleagues fall prey to drugs, alcohol, and other vices; he used this as a cautionary tale for his son. Although he considered Ruiz's voice too rough to be a singer initially, he was impressed when his son responded that he would work on improving it. His mother encouraged the artistic potential of her children and familiarized them with the music business by exposing them to talent shows and other performances. At one of these events Ruiz met Tito Puente and was gifted a set of timbales.
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