Biography of Carlos Cuto Soto and Isla Bonita. Carlos "Cuto" Soto was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 4, 1955. Being a fan of Willie Colón, he chose the trombone as an instrument and took lessons from it in the residential Luis Lloréns Torres, under the tutoring of Professor Ernesto Vigoreaux He continued his music studies graduating from the Inter-American University Precinct of San Germán in 1980, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. While studying, he divided his time between university and playing and arranging for various orchestras and salsa artists. For his creativity, discipline and musical ingenuity he secured a place in the salsa industry working locally and internationally for artists and orchestras of the following caliber: Orquesta Mulenze, Raphy Leavitt and La Selecta, Ismael Miranda, Cheo Feliciano, Eddie Santiago, Rafael Cortijo , Paquito Guzman, Celia Cruz, Elias Lopés, José Nogueras, Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound, Johnny Rivera, Willie Rosario, Andy Montañez, Cano Estremera, Gilberto Santa Rosa, The Solution Orchestra, Tommy Olivencia, Frankie Ruiz, Tony Vega, Lalo Rodríguez, Oscar D 'León, Fania All Stars, Luis Enrique, Roberto Angleró, Puerto Rican Power, Tito Rojas, Tito Nieves, Alex D' Castro, Domingo Quiñones, Giro, and Jerry Rivera, among others. His success as a music producer yielded as a result 21 gold and platinum records for figures such as: Luis Enrique, Hansel Tito Nieves, Alex D 'Castro, Giro, Domigo Quiñones, Manolo Lezcano, Orlando Collado and Jerry Rivera, who produced the album titled "Cuenta Conmigo" (1992), which has been the best selling salsa record in the world together with "Siembra" by Willie Colón and Rubén Blades. In 1988, at the request of the company Sony Discos (then CBS Records), Cuto decided to take the reins of his own project, thus creating the Isla Bonita orchestra, and implementing an unprecedented sound concept in the salsa world. Its wind section consists of three trombones and one tuba. He recruited Wilfredo "Quitín" Santiago, Elvira Franco and Gary Carrión as vocalists for this company, who recorded their first album titled "Isla Bonita" (1988). In their second record release entitled "Dreams of the Caribbean" (1989), featured as singers Wilfredo Santiago and Fernando Cancel. The third album of Isla Bonita entitled "A La Conquista" (1990) featured Fernando Cancel and Angel "Cuquito" Palacios as vocalists. Prior to working in the ranks of the Isla Bonita orchestra, Wilfredo "Quitín" Santiago was part of the orchestra led by maestro Eddie Palmieri. The single "Solito", which interpreted "Quitín", earned her a Grammy Award. Fernando Cancel, for his part, worked for figures and groups such as: Elías Lopés, La Puertorriqueña Orchestra, Marvin Santiago and Ismael Rivera. Santiago and Cancel are the singers who have participated in La Isla Bonita the longest. The hits of the first album ("Isla Bonita", 1988) include songs such as "Insatiable", "Esperándote", "Por Que Te Entregas" and "Cómo". "Sueños del Caribe" (1989) features songs like "Amor Marcado", "Pupilas de Gato", "Niña", Eso es Pasado "," Fuego "," The Best of Me "," Como Yo ", and" Entre Sabanas, all of them being successes.

The album "To the Conquest" (1990) had as a major success in the radio the song of the well-known composer Jorge Luis Piloto "Haz una Hoguera". The success accumulated by Isla Bonita in the United States and Latin America was supported by the excellence of its singers and the musicians who formed it, masterfully directed by "Cuto" Soto, who in turn was part of the trombone section. After a period of 20 years in recess (1991-2011), "Cuto" meets with Wilfredo and Fernando and are part of the Christian orchestra Siembra, with which they work. From this juncture came the initiative to revive the Isla Bonita. On September 14, 2012, the first official reappearance of the orchestra took place in Cali, Colombia, before a full house and a box office sold out a week before the event. This began a series of concerts in the US and Colombia, whose tickets were sold in full and before fans who sang the songs from beginning to end. It is worth mentioning that this resurgence of the Isla Bonita has generated interest among the youth, who consider it a new ensemble, the fans who remember all the songs, and the radio stations that already have the orchestra's songs in their lists of successes. . Soon Isla Bonita will be recording new album. At the present time, Carlos "Cuto" Soto continues to work with artists and bands from the salsa field that are still in force as a musician, arranger and producer. It is considered one of the best in this field to date.