Carlos Juan Aponte Cruz, known professionally as Charlie Aponte, was born on February 2, 1951, in Caguas, Puerto Rico. While studying accounting at a university, he built a reputation as a sonero by performing at venues such as Lomas del Sol. On June 23, 1973, Aponte officially joined the renowned salsa group El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, replacing vocalist PellÃn RodrÃguez.
Aponte served as a lead vocalist for El Gran Combo for 41 years, contributing to the group's global reputation as the 'University of Salsa.' In 2015, Aponte launched his career as a solo artist.
His solo debut included the albums Una Nueva Historia and Aqui Estoy Yo, Vol. 1, along with the single Para Festejar, all released in 2015. He followed these with the album Pa' mi Gente in 2017 and the single Aguacero in 2018. Aponte has continued to release salsa music, including the singles Somos (2020), Brazos Abiertos (2021), El Ultimo Romantico (2022), and Las Ganas De Parrandear (2023). In 2024, he released the album La Historia Continua and the single Llámala.
