José Alberto is a Dominican salsa singer. José Alberto moved to Puerto Rico with his family at the age of 7, and inspired by Latin music went on to polish his singing at Las Antillas Military Academy. He relocated to New York in the early 1970s and sang with several orchestras. He received international attention as the bandleader of Tipica 73

Tipica 73

Tipica 73 was a popular New York salsa band in the 1970s and early 1980s, formed with a number of musicians from Ray Barretto's band.Tipica 73's music was notable for its experimental style, and was the first US-based salsa orchestra to record in Cuba with the album Tipicá 73 En Cuba Intercambio...

 in October 1977.

José Alberto started his own band in 1983, and became a major Latin star after the release of his 1984 debut Noches Calientes . His 1991 album Dance With Me

Dance With Me (José Alberto album)

Dance With Me is a Latin pop/salsa music album recorded by salsa musician José Alberto.-Track listing:#"A Donde Vas Amor"#"Tu Novio, Tu Amante"#"Abre"#"Hazme El Amor"#"La Gitana"#"Dance With Me"#"Quiero Amarla"#"Entre Abismos"...

, which established a new style of salsa called salsa romántica

Salsa romantica

Salsa Romántica, also known as Salsa Erotica, is a soft form of salsa music that emerged between the mid 1980s and early 1990s in New York City and Puerto Rico...

. He has sung hit songs such as "Sueño Contigo" His voice was widely adored by his fans, and his exceptional whistling abilities (being able to improvise as if he was playing a traverse flute) led them to give him the nickname El Canario (The Canary).

El Canario has enjoyed success in the United States and Europe, but especially throughout Latin America, including in his native Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

, Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

, and Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

.

On 24 May 2008, José Alberto celebrated 30 years in the music industry at the United Palace Theater

United Palace Theater

The United Palace Theater, originally known as Loew's 175th Street Theatre, is a church and live music venue located at 175th Street and Broadway in Washington Heights in New York City.-History:...

 in New York City. Among the several special guests were Oscar D'León

Oscar D'León

Oscar Emilio León Somoza, better known as Oscar D'León is a Venezuelan musician who became internationally famous for his salsa music. In Spanish, he is known as El Sonero del Mundo . His most famous song is perhaps "Llorarás," which he recorded in 1975 with his group La Dimensión Latina...

, Ismael Miranda

Ismael Miranda

Ismael Miranda a.k.a. El niño bonito de la Salsa is a composer and a singer of salsa music.-Early years:...

, Raulín Rosendo

Raulin Rosendo

A Dominican Republic-born singer transplanted to New York City, salsa star Raulín Rosendo was born in Santo Domingo on August 30, 1957. Steeped in the rhythms of Afro-Antilles music throughout his childhood, he began his performing career at the age of 12 as a member of the merengue group El Chivo...

, Joe Arroyo

Joe Arroyo

Álvaro José Arroyo González was a Colombian salsa and tropical music singer, composer and songwriter. Considered one of the greatest performers of Caribbean music in his country....

, and Latin music mogul Ralph Mercado.