Irwin "Wito" Rodríguez was born in Chicago to Puerto Rican parents and began his musical journey as a singer and musician. During his teenage years, he performed with a Rock and Roll band as a guitarist. In 1968, Wito decided to move to "La Isla Del Encanto," Puerto Rico, in search of his musical roots and to experience the spicy sounds of his beloved Latin rhythm. His first encounter with salsa music was with a Puerto Rican percussionist from the 1960s named "Chacón y Su Orquesta," where Wito learned all the Latin rhythms such as Guaguancó, Boogaloo, Mozambique, etc. Chacón mentored him in Latin percussion instruments, and Wito also fell in love with the maracas. Wito returned to Chicago in 1971 to join "Orquesta La Justicia," a local band that opened shows for artists like Ismael Rivera, Ray Barreto, Willie Colón, El Gran Combo, and the legendary "Fania All-Stars." Like many young people of the time, in 1973, he decided to join the United States Army and was sent to Europe. During his time in Germany, Wito took singing lessons with opera singer Barbra Sutton, and at the same time, he formed two bands named "El Conjunto Sabor" and "La Sonora Antillana." These orchestras accompanied salsa artists such as Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda, Tito Allen, Santitos Colón, Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, and the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. After leaving the army, Wito teamed up with German orchestra director Rudi Fuesers and gave birth to the salsa orchestra of Europe "Conexión Latina." With Conexión Latina, Wito recorded two albums; "Calorcito" and "Un Poco Loco." He also had the great experience of recording two songs with Big Band leader and arranger Peter Herbolzheimer. In the late 1980s, Wito wanted to broaden his horizons by forming his own groups called "Wito Rodríguez y Orquesta" and "Wito Con Cache." Missing his family and friends, Wito "crossed the pond" to return to the United States and finish his career in the Army. He never abandoned his passion for music; a new big band sound was on his mind, and once again, he returned to the spotlight with Wito Rodriguez Salsa Jazz Orchestra under the guidance and musical direction of trumpeter and arranger Gino Picart. "What a Wonderful World" or "Que Mundo Maravilloso" is his third album released in January 2015. Although keeping busy with live performances in 2016, a new album was also produced and recorded between Venezuela, South America, and Orlando, Florida. The latest production named "Como el Viento" was released in 2017. This album contains a compilation of songs recorded over the years in Europe that never made it to the Western Hemisphere. Hope you enjoy his first solo release... What a wonderful world! In 2018, Wito released another CD called "The Best of Wito," which has a mix of all the songs that seemed to be fans' favorites and honored their preferences. Wito also has four new singles that he has released from his new album, which will be available in late February 2019. Through internet platforms, you can find these releases. "Soy Caribe," "Yo No Te Echo La Culpa," "Always and Forever," and "Now and Forever" are the releases so far. As a bilingual singer, I am blessed to bring my songs to the music industry, singing them in English and Spanish, uniting through my music in a blend of salsa and R&B, etc. In 2018, Wito was blessed to be nominated at the Hollywood Music Media Awards in Los Angeles, California, in November 2018. Also, above, you can see his certificate as a honoree at the Fox Music Awards USA, Miami, in November 2018, where he was honored for being a Veteran Salsa Singer of the Army. The Chicago Salsa Congress was one of his great events in 2018! New CD & Vinyl "SOY Distinto Y Diferente" available in 2019 and in 2020 a single called "Bomba Puertorriqueña." In 2021, another CD called "Reload.. Recargando" as Wito Rodriguez's life is always recharging with new music. And in 2022, he went with the cover songs of Lou Rawls and John Lennon but with his style in salsa and with a Latin flavor! "Imagine," "You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," and "Mujer Prohibida" for his salsa lovers. In 2022, he moved from Florida to Pennsylvania and retired from his music but during that time he thought, wait, let me do something new and started his record label NMJ Animal Music Records LLC in 2023 to give opportunities to other artists with his help with productions and money to record and make music videos of different genres and countries. And he does that and has in 2024 different artists, some stay, and some go, but he never stops pursuing his dreams for them! In 2024, he is doing interviews for himself and his artists and looking to bring them to events worldwide according to the law for each country.