A pioneer of Latin soul and the "Father of Latin Boogaloo," Joe Cuba created a remarkable legacy of music, peaking in the electric 1960s. The eclectic bandleader merged Spanglish chants, R&B melodies, and Afro-Cuban rhythms to become a prime mover in the Nuyorican movement burbling out of upper Manhattan. Classic anthemic singles like "El Pito (Never Go Back to Georgia)" and "Bang Bang" grew beyond NYC's latino community to provide inspiration for the early days of disco, hip-hop, and freestyle. Cuba continued to lead his iconic sextet into the 21st century, nearly up to his death in 2009.