Born April 29, 1929, in Brooklyn, Barretto is credited for being the first U.S.-born percussionist to integrate the African-based conga drum into jazz. This fact has designated him as on of the early "crossover" artists in jazz -- skillfully balancing his Latin leanings and his love for bebop througout a long and successful career.
Barretto's mother Delores was a financially strapped Puerto Rican immigrant determined to make a better life for her children. While she attended night school to study English, Ray and his siblings were glued to the radio, listening to jazz.
Hearing big band sounds of Duke Ellington, Glen Miller, and Tommy Dorsey, Barretto became enthralled by music. The radio wasn't the only source of musical entertainment for Barretto -- he learned about the majesty of Duke Ellington from a movie called Revelry With Beverly.
Link--http://www.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/barretto.html
