Poncho Sanchez

Poncho Sánchez
Poncho Sanchez performing in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Poncho Sanchez
Born	(1951-10-30) October 30, 1951 (age 65) Laredo, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, Latin, Latin jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, arranger, composer, record producer
Instruments	Conga, vocals, timbales, percussion
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Concord Records, Universal

Poncho Sánchez (born October 30, 1951), is a Mexican American conguero (conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, Sanchez and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the Concord Picante album Latin Soul. Sanchez has performed with artists Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaría, Hugh Masekela, Clare Fischer, and Tower of Power, among others.

The youngest of eleven children, Poncho Sanchez was born in Laredo, Texas and reared in Norwalk, California. Growing up, Sanchez was exposed to and influenced by two very different styles of music: Afro-Cuban music (mambo, son, cha-cha, rumba, guaracha, Changui and Son) by greats such as Tito Puente, and bebop jazz, including the works of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Originally a guitarist, he discovered his talent for singing during an audition for an R&B band "The Halos" that rehearsed across the street from where he lived with his neighborhood friend Ralph Vasquez then becoming the lead vocalist of the group. Sanchez would later go on to teach himself the flute, drums, and timbales before finally deciding to pursue conga-playing in high school.