After making his name during a five-year stint with the great Puerto Rican institution Sonora Ponceña, singer Tito Gómez jumped ship in 1973 for a brief spell with the breakaway La Terrifica. Thereafter, a couple of albums with Ray Barretto in 1975 and 1976 further raised his profile. Presumably the bosses at Fania Records (which controlled Inca) decided that the solo project Para Gozar Borinquen was the next logical step for Tito. But as it turned out, his solo career did not begin in earnest until the 1990s. Tito returned to Ponceña in 1978 and went on to work with Tito Valentín, Venezuela’s La Amistad, La Terrifica, La Máquina De Los 80, Rubby Haddock and Colombia’s Grupo Niche before successfully resuming his solo career in 1991. Much to the sadness of his fans across the world, Tito died of a heart attack on June 11th, 2007 at the age of 59. – John Child
