Mario Hernández (musician)
Mario Hernández (June 24, 1924, Sabana Llana, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico - January 2, 2013, Río Piedras) was a tresist, singer and Puerto Rican composer.1

Biography
Since he was a child he leaned towards music and was attracted by various instruments such as bongo, bass and guitar. He also sang in some amateur programs.

He was captivated by the sonority of the three when he heard a song performed by the Sexteto Puerto Rico with his tresista "Piliche". With just 16 years old, he was second voice and tresista of Conjunto Libertad.

In 1950 he founded his orchestra "Los Diablos del Caribe", with which he worked until 1956, when he moved to New York. In this city he lived for about thirty years. The Devils of the Caribbean was the first orchestra that accompanied the sonero major Ismael Rivera, when he was barely 14 years old. Los Diablos also performed at N.Y during the last season of the Palladium Night Club, where Mario alternated with Latin music legends such as Tito Puente and Machito.

In those times, Mario also worked with artists such as La Lupe, Maria Luisa Landin, Panchito Riset and Daniel Santos with La Sonora Matancera.

He directed the Sexteto Borinquen since 1961. He spent his last years in Río Piedras, where he died in January 2013 at the age of 88 years. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.