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. <br /> <br />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. <br />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. <br />Link--http://www.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/barretto.html
