Music of Puerto Rico - Artists: Trio Los Condes

Trio Los Condes - Bolero

Originally comprised of two Puerto Ricans and one Cuban, the Trio Los Condes was formed in 1959 in New York City and became one the leading exponents of romantic bolero music in Puerto Rico, Latin America and the United States.

The trio's founding members were Fernando Ramos, from Río Grande, Puerto Rico, on first guitar; Rafael Maldonado, from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, lead vocalist; and Ricardo Blanco, from Havana, Cuba, as second vocalist and second guitar.

Their first recording was an LP record on the Gema label in 1960, which included one of their biggest hit songs: "Querube", written by the famous Puerto Rican songwriter, Pedro Flores. That song was typical of their repertory and helped the Trio gain widespread fame. Los Condes came into their own in the 1960's but performe and recorded as late as the early 1990's.

A short time later, in 1963, the Trio survived its first change when Blanco left. He was replaced by José Luis "Tato" Diaz, from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. The next change came several years later, after working out of New York and touring many cities throughout the United States, the Trio met with such great success during a tour of Puerto Rico in 1966, they moved permanently to the island two years later.

While the Trio continued their string of highly successful recordings and live performances, other changes were in store. Ten years later, Julito Pérez replaced Diaz but rejoined the Trio in 1989.

One of the Trio's theme songs, recorded in their later years, was Brujeria, written by the well known songwriter, Tite Curet Alonso, an excellent example of the style that made them famous. Over the course of their successful years, Trio Los Condes recorded well over 200 songs on more than 20 LP albums.