Jerry Rivera

Born the son of singers Edwin “Pino” and Domingo Rivera, the young Puerto Rican began singing with his parents at concerts and gatherings in his early teens. After raising his confidence and honing his live performance skills this way, Rivera’s parents recorded a demo of the 14-year old which they sent to CBS/Sony Discos. Rivera subsequently signed a long recording contract with the label, who issued his debut album “Empezando a Vivir” in 1989. Led by the single “De la Cabeza a los Pies”, which also landed on the compilation album “Non-Stop Dacning, Vol. 2”, the album catapulted the singer to national recognition.

The following year Rivera’s follow-up, 1990’s “Abriendo Puertas”, cemented his appeal, spawning a pair of singles “Dime” and “Más Que Tu”. The record paved the way for his third, the Billboard Tropical/Salsa chart-topping “Cuenta Congo”, which subsequently became one of the best-selling salsa albums of all time. 1995’s “Magia” and 1996’s “Fresco” both found the top of the Salsa Charts once again and secured platinum certification shortly after their release. Looking to expand the scope of his musical output, the singer began drawing influences from tropical pop ballads as well as boleros, releasing “Ya No Soy el Nino Aquel” in 1997 and “De Otra Manera” in 1998.

Following a well-deserved hiatus for the singer, Rivera returned in 2000 to released his most experimental album to date, “Para Siempre”. The record turned out to be his last release on Sony Records, after which Rivera signed with EMI Latin, who released the collection of ballads “Vuela Muy Alto” in 2002. The tribute album “Canto a mi Idolo… Frankie Ruiz” arrived in 2003 spawning the singles “Mi Liberated” and “Puerto Rico” and earning Rivera a Grammy nomination. Influenced by Caribbean themes and featuring reworked tangos, in 2007 the singer issued the full-length “Caribe Gardel”, followed by an album of ballads “El Amor Existe” in 2011.