Armando Peraza (c. 1924–2014) taught himself the conga on the streets of Havana and went on to play with Charlie Parker, George Shearing, Cal Tjader and, for nearly 20 years, Carlos Santana.
Cándido Camero (1921–2020) was a Cuban conga player and jazz pioneer who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Tony Bennett, and by his own account was the first to play three congas at once.
Carlos “Patato” Valdés (1926–2007) was a Cuban conga player who went from Conjunto Casino and La Sonora Matancera in Havana to Tito Puente, Machito and Herbie Mann in New York, and helped develop LP’s Patato Model congas.
