Son By 4

The Puerto Rican vocal quartet Son by Four is mostly a family affair, featuring brothers Javier and George Montes and cousin Pedro Quiles, plus Angel Lopez. Latin-pop producer/songwriter Omar Alfanno took notice of the group's soulful harmonies and bilingual capabilities and helped get them signed to Sony's Latin wing. Son by Four's first album, Preparense, was released in 1998 and it became a hit among fans of Latin and tropical pop. However, it was their next release — an eponymous album issued in early 2000 — that truly catapulted Son by Four into the realm of stardom. While it featured some of the group members' first attempts at songwriting, the real attraction was the runaway smash single "A Puro Dolor" ("Purest of Pain"). It spent nearly a year on the Latin singles chart, setting a new record with a whopping 20 weeks at number one; it also became the first Spanish-language track to reach the pop charts in nearly two decades and helped Son by Four reach gold sales status. Sensing a potential crossover, Sony rushed out the album Purest of Pain at the end of the year, aiming primarily for English-speaking pop audiences.