Johnny Pacheco celebrates 50 Years of Music.

Fania, the famed label that originated Salsa, announced the release of Johnny Pacheco A Man and His Music, a two-disc retrospective commemorating Pacheco’s celebrated career. The release coincides with the Fania All Stars reunion concert to celebrate Pacheco’s 50th Anniversary in music on Friday, October 20th at The Theater-Madison Square Garden.

“Pacheco has a natural feel for what swings,” said best-selling artist Willie Colon. “His intuition for recording was very influential on me. He just knew how he wanted the horns to phrase and how the rhythm track should feel. Most of all, Johnny knows how to bring out the best in people,” added Colon.

The 30-track re-mastered album includes such classic hits as “Cañonazo,” “Químbara,” and “Guaguanco Pa’l Que Sabe,” and includes recordings with Celia Cruz, Jose Fajardo, and Pete “Conde” Rodriguez. One of the fathers of Salsa and legendary music impresario, Pacheco joined forces with Jerry Masucci in New York City to form Fania Records in late 1963. Their shared passion for great music and innovation turned Fania Records into the birthplace for a new style of sounds mixing a wide array of influences to create one of the most respected catalogs in Latin music.

Since the early 1960s, Pacheco has been at the center of the Latin music universe. His nine Grammy nominations, ten Gold records and numerous awards – in addition to receiving The Latin Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 – all pay tribute to his creative talent as composer, bandleader, and producer.

The release of A Man and His Music coincides with a once in a lifetime concert, Friday, October 20th, that will bring together three glorious eras of Latin music: Charanga, Tumbao and Salsa. The spectacular production will include the most prolific ensemble in the history of Latin music; the FANIA All-Star.