Puerto Rican Rock Music - Late 1960s and 1970s

Late 1960s and 1970s

In the mid to late 1960s, several Puerto Rican bands started surfacing with some mainstream success. Most of these performed in English. Some of these were:

• The Teen Sounds
• Back Street Minority, with singer Salvador Bayron
• The Sonsets

* The Starlights

• The Night Walkers
• Abram Shoo
• The Living End
• X-5: reputedly the first Puerto Rican rock group to record a long playing in Spanish. Its members were: Daniel Cabrera (lead guitar), Luis Cabrera (RIP)(lead singer), Jorge Vazquez (second guitar), Jose Ocasio (bass, vocals), Carlos Rivera (RIP) (drums, singer). Jorge Vazquez was replaced by David (second guitar, singer) with whom the record was made.
• The Stokes
• The Challengers
• The Thunders
• The Telstars
• The We Know You
• The Cromagnons
• The Jetsons
• The Frogs
• The Chryslers
• The Sames
• Flower Generation
• Arrasas
• Taíno
• Banko
• Copenhagen
• Godmother and country
• Wilkins
• East Side Band
• Sidewinder
• Mana Peniel
• Albatross
• Viento Recio
• Holocausto
• Vida

In the early 1970s, other bands like Bandolero, and La Banda del K-rajo had some underground success. Later that decade, a number of bands emerged from San Juan area bars like Shannan's Pub and Donna Faye's. The most popular bands at this time where Taíno, Pelican in Flight, Spoiler, Albatross, East Side Band, and many others.

At the same time, a movement of nova trova musicians was growing in the island led by singers like Roy Brown and Noel Hernández. During this time, the local radio station AlfaRock starts broadcasting rock music in the island.