Elvis may have been known as “The King of Rock and Roll,” but to fans of Latin music icon, the late Tito Puente will always be remembered as “El Rey del Timbal” (The King of the Timbale). Puente was responsible for bringing timbales from the rear to the forefront of the band in Latin dance music and Latin jazz. He was the winner of four Grammy Awards, has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and received the National Endowment of the Arts Award from President Clinton. Puente’s craving for innovation and perfection helped lead to the design of LP’s Tito Puente Model Timbales. Tito was honored when a set of his namesake Timbales was placed into the Smithsonian Institute’s permanent collection.
