Gilberto Santa Rosa Says Salsa History Begins With Cuba and Afro-Cuban Musician Arsenio Rodríguez

Puerto Rican singer Gilberto Santa Rosa offered a candid perspective on the origins of salsa during a recent conversation with host Enrique Santos. With characteristic clarity, he affirmed that salsa was born in Cuba and credited musicians like Arsenio Rodríguez for laying its foundation. Known internationally as “El Caballero de la Salsa,” Santa Rosa used the platform to reinforce a point that many aficionados and scholars have long debated.

Sitting before a live microphone, Santa Rosa left no room for uncertainty. “Salsa was born in Cuba. The root of what we call salsa is Cuban, without any doubt. Cuban is the backbone of this,” he said. He traced the DNA of the genre back to the island’s African rhythms and musical styles from the 1930s, acknowledging that although the genre evolved elsewhere, its essence remains Cuban.

Gilberto Santa Rosa Gives People a History Lesson on Salsa

While many nations across the Caribbean and Latin America contributed their own interpretations of salsa over time, Santa Rosa insisted that the unique tone and character of the genre came together in New York. “The birth of the sound, the character of what we call salsa was, without a doubt, New York. But the raw material, the root, is Cuban,” he explained. It was in the Bronx and other pockets of New York’s immigrant neighborhoods where salsa found its modern instrumentation and urban pulse.

The artist pointed directly to Arsenio Rodríguez as “the most direct person responsible” for salsa’s creation. “At some point in life you will have heard the name Arsenio Rodríguez, who was a great Cuban musician,” Santa Rosa added. Rodríguez, a blind musician and composer, shaped the son montuno and introduced key innovations in rhythm and arrangement that became central to salsa’s musical structure.

@rpanamericana

Gilberto Santa Rosa afirmó que el VERDADERO ORIGEN de la salsa es cubano. 🤯🔥🎶 ¿Lo sabías? 👀 Fuente: Enrique Santos en YT #gilbertosantarosa #radiopanamericana #salsa #cuba #musica

♬ sonido original – Radio Panamericana

Santa Rosa made the remarks while appearing alongside Colombian artist J Balvin, as the two promoted “Misterio,” a track from Balvin’s latest album Mixteip. The collaboration merges generations and styles, pairing the voice of a classic salsero with one of reggaetón’s most visible figures.

From African Drums to Latin Jazz

It is important to remember that the genre known as salsa did not emerge out of a vacuum. Its ancestry runs deep, beginning with the arrival of African drums to the shores of Cuba. In the 1930s, Cuban dance forms like danzón mingled with French and Haitian influences, as well as Spanish melodies. These sounds mixed with rumbas such as guaguancó and soneros to form a spectrum of Afro-Cuban styles, including mambo, guaracha, and montuno.

Musicians carried these rhythms to the mainland, especially to New York, where salsa began to take a distinct form in the mid-twentieth century. Cuban artists, joined by Puerto Rican and other Caribbean musicians, began to incorporate trombones and congas into their arrangements. They gave birth to the sound recognized around the world today.

During the 1960s and 70s, the term “salsa” began to appear as a convenient label. Izzy Sanabria, a graphic designer for Fania All Stars, is often credited with branding the genre by grouping all Cuban-rooted rhythms under a single name to make the music easier to market. What emerged was a sound that spoke of migration, identity, and community.

A Dance Carried by Memory and Movement

The steps of salsa dancing mirror its musical history. The core of salsa dance borrows directly from the son cubano, though it also incorporates movements from other Cuban dances like rumba, mambo, and danzón. What gives each salsa style its personality is the region that developed it, with dancers interpreting the rhythm through localized essence.

As salsa grew in popularity through the latter half of the twentieth century, it became a cultural emblem in cities across the Americas. Colombia and Puerto Rico quickly embraced the genre, and by the end of the century, salsa had reached dance halls and festivals worldwide.

Salsa continues to evolve, shaped by the traditions that gave it form and the musicians who keep those rhythms alive. Its reach spans continents, but its foundation remains unmistakably tied to Cuba. While conversations about its origins may continue, there is no doubt that Cuba stands as a key player in the creation of the genre.