Arsenio Rodríguez

Arsenio Rodríguez (1911-1970) was a Cuban tres player, composer, and bandleader from Matanzas who specialized in son, rumba, and Afro-Cuban music. In the 1940s and 1950s he shaped the conjunto format and helped develop the son montuno, the rhythmic foundation that modern salsa would later build on. Blind from the age of seven, he wrote close to two hundred songs and remained one of the most influential figures in Latin music history.