A Cuban-born singer/bandleader, Roberto Torres left his homeland for the United States in 1959, founding Orquesta Broadway Zervigon in 1962. The group scored a huge hit with the single, "Black Is Black" in 1968. Torres made his solo debut in 1973 with the album EL CASTIGADOR, spawning the hit single "El Caminante," taken from Roberto’s nickname (meaning "The Stroller"). In 1979, he co-found SAR (Sergio-Andriano-Roberto) Records in partnership with Sergio Bofill and Andriano Garcia. Over the next three years SAR released more than 50 albums by a roster of artists that included Charanga De La 4, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Henry Fiol, and Alfredo Valdes. SAR's output dwindled after 1982, as the Dominican merengue boom overtook salsa in popularity.