Ismael Santiago emerges as a notable figure in the Puerto Rican artistic landscape, distinguished as one of the few musicians who achieved stardom while playing an instrument that, despite its beautiful sound, has often been overlooked. In Puerto Rico, only a few Plena ensembles have utilized this instrument, without their players gaining significant recognition. Santiago, however, has successfully risen to prominence, also earning acclaim as a composer.
A highly dynamic individual, Santiago excelled as an athlete during his youth, participating in track and field events and pole vaulting. He also worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for the national press and, in the latter half of the 1930s, performed in circus shows as a comic boxer under the name "Gofio Junior." However, he had been cultivating his musical talents since childhood, learning solfeggio from Professor Juan Font Zayas, while much of his training as a multi-instrumentalist was self-taught.
Santiago acquired proficiency in various instruments, including the guitar, piano, trumpet, euphonium, tuba, accordion, and most Caribbean percussion drums. Throughout his adolescence, he balanced his artistic pursuits with sports. He joined several groups that did not achieve notable success until he partnered with his godfather, accordionist Modesto Rosario, to form the Conjunto Suzuca in 1938. As the trumpet player for the ensemble, he gained considerable popularity, particularly in central Puerto Rico.
In 1942, alongside Rosario, Santiago moved to New York, seeking broader opportunities for his musical ambitions. In this city, they established another group named after their previous ensemble, focusing primarily on Plena music. From the outset, both musicians had to balance their performances with other jobs; Rosario (1909-1972) worked in artillery for several years, while Santiago took a position as a cook at Mount Sinai Hospital in the Bronx. Interestingly, despite later achieving success, he continued in this role well into his later years.
By 1955, he founded the ensemble that would carry his name for many years, primarily to accompany singers in recordings and theatrical performances. At one point, he performed in a symphonic program on the WHOM radio station, which resonated with the audience and led him to incorporate this style more frequently into his work. When record producers sought him out for sessions, he committed himself fully to this instrument. His recording "Danzas en sinfonía" (Linda, LP-101) is now regarded as a classic, featuring Claudio Ferrer (guitarist), Willie Sosía (double bassist), and Paquito Cartagena (güirero).
Santiago made his debut as a composer while with Conjunto Suzuca, although he did not fully embrace this role until two decades later. He often failed to preserve the melodies he created, resulting in many being lost. Fortunately, while performing with his ensemble in a show at the Teatro Puerto Rico, he befriended the renowned Mexican singer and actor Antonio Aguilar, who was the star of those performances. Santiago presented him with the corrido "Amor a la ligera," which Aguilar included in his album "Antonio Aguilar con el Mariachi México" (Musart, DM-934) released in 1962. This recording quickly became a hit across Mexico, Central and South America, and Hispanic communities in the United States. In New York, it topped the WHOM Hit Parade for several months, earning Santiago the Diplo Award from the magazine Farándula and the Candilejas Award from the newspaper La Prensa as Composer of the Year in New York.
It is noteworthy that "Amor a la ligera" inspired numerous discographic versions in Mexico, including those by Samuel Quintero y Su Gran Tamborazo (Halcón, 1968). Other Latin American artists, such as Venezuelan Henry Salvat (TH/LAD, 1980), also recorded this corrido.
In 1962, his fellow Puerto Rican Odilio González, known as "El Jibarito de Lares," brought three boleros to the forefront that would make a significant impact, surpassing Santiago's earlier work. These included "Amor a la mala," "Celos sin motivo," and "Háblame" (BMC Records), which dominated the popularity charts in New York and Puerto Rico throughout 1963. These songs not only bolstered the rising career of González but also earned Santiago further recognition as Composer of the Year. From then on, González became his most devoted interpreter, popularizing numerous songs, including "Ciego de celos," "Conformidad," "Háblame," and "Lo que no ha de ser," many of which were also recorded by other artists.
Notable versions of "Celos sin motivo" have been recorded by Dominican artists Ernesto Núñez (Honey, 1979) and Ramón Rosario (JVN, 1996). Other prominent Dominican interpreters, such as Fernando Villalona (Kubaney, 1987) and Anthony Ríos (Montaño, 1998), have also recorded successful versions of "Háblame," with Ríos including "Ciego de celos" on the same album. In 1967, Puerto Rican Juan Antonio Romero found success in the Hispanic Hit Parade of New York with "Agua que va río abajo" (Jenny 603).
In 1973, the influential New York newspaper Daily News highlighted Santiago's artistic contributions with an extensive feature written by critic Sidney Fields.
