Tito Puente (1923-2000), was an American musician, bandleader and record producer. His music career spanned over five decades, in which he received numerous awards and recognitions, and posthumously as well. According to Billboard, Puente was recognised with various honorific nicknames, from "King of Latin Music" to "King of the Timbales".
Puente's awards include six Grammy Awards from twelve nominations in competitive categories, two Latin Grammys, three Billboard Latin Music Awards (including a honorific recognition), various Latin ACE by the Association of Latin Entertainment Critics, as well he was a regular winner of the Critics and Readers Polls by major publications, including DownBeat.
His career and contributions to music industry was recognized with various lifetime achievement awards, among them, from the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 1995, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. He also received honors outside of the music industry, including a National Medal of Arts from the United States Congress (1997), the Library of Congress Living Legend (2000), as well various honorary degrees from some colleges and keys to the city. Puente was admitted into multiple halls and walks of fames, including Hollywood Walk of Fame (1990), International Latin Music Hall of Fame (1999), Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (2016), and the DownBeat Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee in 2025. He was crowned Grand Marshal in differents Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Awards and nominations Award/organization Year Nominee/work Category Result American Association of Independent Music 1989 Salsa Meets Jazz Latin Record of the Year 1991 "Goza mi Timbal" 1992 "Out of this World" 1993 Mambo of the Times 1994 "Royal, T" 1995 "Master Timbalero" American World Music Awards (AWMA) 2001Tito PuenteLifetime Achiviement Award ASCAP Latin Awards 1994Tito PuenteFounders Award Asociación de Hispanos (Nosotros) 1991 Tito Puente Golden Eagle: Lifetime Achievement in Music Association of Latin Entertainment Critics 1970Tito PuenteOrchestra of the Year 1979Homenaje a BennySalsa Album of the Year 1981Tito PuenteOrchestra of the Year 1995 In Session Best Latin Jazz Album 1998 Tito Puente Outstanding Professional Achievements 2001 Tito Puente with Eddie Palmieri Most Outstanding International Orchestra Billboard Latin Music Awards1995Tito PuenteBillboard Lifetime Achievement Award 1997"Oye Cómo Va"Best Tropical/Salsa Video of the YearJazzin (La India and Count Basie Orchestra)Contemporary Latin Jazz Album of the Year2001Obra Maestra (with Eddie Palmieri)Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year, Male Billboard Number One Awards1977Tito Puente (La Leyenda)Latin National Salsa 1979Homenaje a Benny, TicoTop Latin Salsa Album 1986Tito Puente and Celia CruzTop Tropical/Salsa Artist Homenaje a Benny More, Vol. 3 (with Celia Cruz)Top Tropical/Salsa AlbumBillboard Video Music Awards2000"Mambo Birdland"Best Clip of the Year Black Musicians' Conference 1985 Tito Puente Distinguished Achievement Awards Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center 1989 Tito Puente Distinguished Services Award Caribbean Music Awards1992Tito PuenteLifetime Achievement Award Casandra Awards 1996Tito PuenteSoberano International Casita Maria 1992 Tito Puente Gold Medal Award DownBeat Critics' Poll Awards 1987 Tito Puente Top Percussionist / Percussion Artist of the Year 1989 1992 1996 1997 Front Page Music Awards 1978 Tito Puente Best Latin Group Best Instrumental Group 1980 Best Orchestra Globo Awards (New York) 1999 Tito Puente Music Career AwardGrammy Awards1978La LeyendaBest Latin Recording 1979Homenaje a Beny More1981Dancemania '801984On BroadwayBest Tropical Latin Performance1986Mambo Diablo1987Homenaje A Beny More - Vol. III1991Lambada TimbalesTito Puente Presents Millie P.1992The Mambo King 100th LP1999Live At Birdland - Dancemania '992000Mambo BirdlandBest Traditional Tropical Latin Performance2001Masterpiece/Obra Maestra (with Eddie Palmieri)Best Salsa Album2003Tito PuenteLifetime Achievement Award Hispanic Heritage Foundation 1994 Tito Puente Hispanic Heritage Awards: Art Category Latin Achievement Awards 1973 Tito Puente Best OrchestraBest MusicianBest Band Under Eight PiecesLatin Grammy Awards2000Mambo BirdlandBest Traditional Tropical Album 2001Obra Maestra (with Eddie Palmieri)Best Salsa Album Latin N.Y. Magazine Awards 1975 Tito Puente Best All-Star Band — TimbalesArranger of the Year 1979 Best Musician of the YearHomenaje a Beny MoreBest Timbales of the Year"Yiri-Yiri Bon"Arranger of the Year"Que Bueno Baila Usted"Latin Jazz USA 1990 Tito Puente Special Condecoration NCLR Bravo Awards 1996 26th Olympiad: Closing CeremoniesOutstanding Male Performance in Variety or Musical Special Onda Nueva Festival 1971 Tito Puente Arranger Record World1972Tito PuenteTop Orchestra Director of the Year 1974 Record World1971Tito PuenteTop Impact Latin Composers in the American and European Markets The Recording Academy 1989Tito Puente Eubie Award 2001 Heroes Award Yupi / Hispanic Federation 2000 Tito Puente Pride Award
Other honors
+List of state/legislative honors Country Gov./Entity Year Description Status United States Mayor John Lindsay 1969 Keys to the City, New York City Smithsonian Institution 1990 James Smithson Bicentennial Medal 1993 Medal of Honor Senate of Puerto Rico 1996 Special Condecoration United States Congress(National Endowment for the Arts) 1997 National Medal of Arts Governor of New York (George Pataki) 1998 Governor's Art Awards Library of Congress 2000 Living Legend Award Ald. Gilbert Villegas 2024 Heroes and Heritage Award
+List of Walk of Fame/Hall of Fames Walk of Fame Year Description Status Hollywood Walk of Fame 1990 Walk of Star International Jazz Hall of Fame 1997 Hall of Fame inductee Latin Jazz Hall of Fame 1999 Hall of Fame inductee International Latin Music Hall of Fame 1999 Hall of Fame inductee Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Hall of Fame 2001 Hall of Fame inductee Grammy Hall of Fame 2002 "Oye Cómo Va" inductee Ritmo Latino 2003 Handprints Hall of Fame Union City Walk of Fame (New Jersey) 2006 Walk of Fame Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame 2016 Hall of Fame inductee "Oye Cómo Va" honored as Canción de todos los Tiempos The Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame 2017 Hall of Fame inductee East Coast Music Hall of Fame 2019 Latin Music Legend Award DownBeat (Veterans Committee) Hall of Fame 2025 Hall of Fame inductee
+List of honors from colleges and academia Year Description Status 1987 Honorary Doctorate from SUNY at Old Westbury 1989 Honorary Doctorate in Music from Berklee College of Music 1992 Honorary Doctor of Music from Hunter College 1994 Honorary Doctorate from Long Island University 1999Honorary Doctor of Music from Columbia University 2000 Chubb Fellowship honor
+List of cultural honors Year Description Status 1967 Grand Marshal at Puerto Rican Day Parade 1987 1999
Notes
References
External links NJ Hall of Fame removes Tito Puente's nomination following error — Asbury Park Press Awards for Tito Puente on the Internet Movie Database
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