Ismael Rivera a.k.a. "Maelo" (October 5, 1931 – May 13, 1987), was a Puerto Rican composer and salsa singer. Early life Rivera was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, a sector of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was the first of five children born to Luis and Margarita Rivera. His father, Luis, was a carpenter and his mother a housewife. As a child, Rivera was always singing and banging on cans with sticks. He received his primary education at the Pedro G. Goyco Elementary School and then went on to learn carpentry at a vocational school. He also shined shoes to help his family financially and, when he was 16 years old, he worked as a carpenter. During his free time he would hang around the corner with his best friend Rafael Cortijo and sing songs. In 1948, Rivera and Cortijo joined El Conjunto Monterrey, where Rivera played the conga and Cortijo the bongos. Rivera was unable to work full-time as a musician because of his work as a carpenter. Musical career In 1952, Rivera joined the U.S. Army but was quickly discharged, because he did not speak English. When he returned to Puerto Rico, he went to work as a lead singer with Orquesta Panamericana, thanks to the recommendation of his friend Rafael Cortijo. With Orquesta Panamericana, Rivera recorded and scored his first hits with the songs "El charlatán", "Ya yo sé", "La vieja en camisa" and "La sazón de Abuela". However, an incident between Rivera and another band member, over a girl, led to his departure from the popular band. In 1954, he joined Cortijo's Combo and recorded the following songs, which soon became hits in the American Latin community: "El Bombón de Elena" "El Negro Bembón" "Juan José" "Besitos de Coco" "Palo Que Tú Me Das" "Quítate de la Vía Perico" "Oriza" "El Chivo de la Campana" "Maquinolandera" "El Yayo" "María Teresa" "Yo Soy del Campo" El Sonero Mayor Cortijo's Combo continued to gain fame and so did Rivera's reputation as a lead singer. Rivera was named sonero mayor by Cuban producer Ángel Maceda, owner of club Bronx Casino in New York; this is based in an interview done with Ismael. The band went to New York City and played in the famed Palladium Ballroom, where the orchestras of Tito Rodríguez, Tito Puente and Charlie Palmieri also played. Rivera married Virginia Fuente in 1951. He also had relationships