Latin music icon, He was a key figure in the salsa revolution in New York during the years 70. His Afro-Cuban salsa albums integrate rock influences, jazz and pan-latin sounds. His album Salsa Big Band (2017) was awarded the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year, and in 2021 the Latin Recording Academy named him Person of the Year, in addition to awarding him again the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year and the Latin Grammy for Best Salsa Album. He is the protagonist of the award-winning documentary Yo No Me Llamo Rubén Blades (2018), directed by Abner Benaim. has won 12 Grammy Awards and 13 Latin Grammy, and his participation for eight seasons in the AMC series Fear the Walking Dead earned him an Imagen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
