About Ismael Rosa

Salsa Never Dies

In the 1990’s Ismael Rosa was a multiple-award-winning top sonero who played with all of the greats of the Salsa world. He was right there with musicians such as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Larry Harlow, Willie Colón, and dozens of others. And fans couldn’t get enough of his music. It seemed that nothing could stop the music–until the inflexible three-strikes-you’re-out drug laws unfairly made an example of Rosa with a life sentence.

But the story–and the music–didn’t end there. Not only did his family stick by him, his fans still adored him. With the help of a persistent lawyer, an outpouring of support from his fans on a petition got the attention of President Obama. And, near the end of his second term, Obama pardoned Rosa in 2016. Now Rosa is back, and so is the music! He is doing a 30th anniversary remastered release of his album Vuelve A Mi and is playing shows again today.