Featuring the band’s iconic hit “Mi desengaño,” plus such favorites as “Fea” and “Que me castigue Dios,” the 1976 album will also arrive on standard and Hi-Res digital
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Los Angeles, CA —Craft Latino marks the 50th anniversary of Lucky 7 with a special reissue of the landmark salsa album from pioneering bandleader Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound. Featuring the mega-hit “Mi desengaño,” plus such cross-generational favorites as “Fea,” “Mala maña,” and “Que me castigue Dios,” the long-out-of-print album returns to vinyl for the first time since its 1976 release.
Arriving August 14th with pre-orders live today, this special anniversary edition of Lucky 7 features all-analog (AAA) mastering cut from the original tapes by Dave Polster and Clint Holley at Well Made Music and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl. A classic tip-on jacket, replicating Lucky 7’s vibrant design, completes the package. Fans can also find a limited-edition pressing (only 300 copies) on Candela Roja y Azul (Red & Blue Fire) color vinyl, as a standalone or bundled with a collectible Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound T-shirt, exclusively on Fania.com, while the remastered album will also be available on standard and Hi-Res digital audio. In addition, a Fat Beats limited-edition (only 300 copies) Azul Trópico (Tropic Blue) color vinyl variant will be available.
One of the most important names in salsa music, Roberto Roena (1940–2021) was a multi-talented artist, whose work as a bandleader, percussionist, and dancer helped to pioneer the genre. A native of Puerto Rico, Roena was just a teenager when he caught the attention of legendary bandleader Rafael Cortijo, who not only taught Roena to play the bongos and cowbell but also made him a member of his world-renowned orchestra, Cortijo y su Combo. When the group dissolved in the early 1960s, Roena reunited with former bandmates to assemble El Gran Combo. The salsa orchestra would soon become one of Puerto Rico’s most famous acts.
By 1969, Roena was eager to strike out on his own and assembled a 12-piece band, Apollo Sound—a name which reportedly came about after their first rehearsal coincided with the historic launch of the Apollo 11 mission. Taking a stylistic cue from the fusion bands of the day, the group created a distinct, funky sound that was defined by a heavy brass section, featuring two or three trumpets, a trombone player, and a saxophonist. Their live shows were equally electrifying, as Roena—a consummate performer—was known to emerge from behind the bongos, keeping crowds on their toes with an awe-inspiring spectacle of aerial tricks, psychedelic lighting, and an arsenal of dance moves.
Within a year, Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound caught the attention of New York City’s Fania Records. Over the next five years, the prolific group released a series of self-titled albums under Fania’s International Records imprint (Apollo Sound 1-6). Their seventh studio album, 1976’s Lucky 7, found the innovative band reaching new levels with their sophisticated arrangements, soulful grooves, and dancefloor-ready rhythms. At the forefront is Papo Sanchez—who had recently joined the group as co-lead vocalist—alongside Sammy Gonzalez. The pair deliver emotive performances throughout, including “Mi desengaño,” an up-tempo track whose buoyant energy contradicts its melancholic themes of disillusionment in love. The song, along with many selections from the album, became an instant salsa classic.
Other popular highlights include the Ruben Blades-penned “Que me castigue Dios,” the merengue “Mala maña,” as well as favorites like “Fea,” “La hija de la vecina,” and “Me le fugué a la candela.” Joining the Apollo Sound were a number of powerhouse artists, including Justo Betancourt, Paquito Guzmán, and Mario Álvarez on backing vocals, plus pianist Carlos Rodriguez, while various celebrated arrangers—including Papo Lucca, Elias Lopes, Jorge Millet, and Luis “Perico” Ortiz—helped bring Roena’s vision to life.
Upon its release, Lucky 7 quickly became one of the bestselling salsa albums of all time and has long since been considered a salsa dura masterpiece, thanks in large part to the breakout success of “Mi desengaño,” a major hit for Roena that Latin Music Café writes, “took Salsa music mainstream. The poetic lyrics, the smooth and slow ‘son,’ mixed with a bossa nova-based mambo made this an easy song to listen for those that didn’t listen to Salsa music before.”
While Apollo Sound were well on their way to becoming one of the greatest salsa bands of all time, Roena also enjoyed significant success as a solo artist—particularly through his involvement in the legendary Latin supergroup Fania All Stars, as well as his high-profile work with Cameroonian star Manu Dibango. A consummate showman with a career that spanned over six decades, the International Latin Music Hall of Fame inductee continued to command the stage well into his 70s.
Click here to find the exclusive bundle including the Candela Roja y Azul (Red & Blue Fire) limited-edition color vinyl with a collectible Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound T-shirt.
Tracklist (Vinyl):
Side A
1. Que me castigue Dios
2. A bailar mi bomba
3. Te voy a tratar
4. Estás equivocada
5. Fea
Side B
1. Mi desengaño
2. La hija de la vecina
3. Hoy mi día triste
4. La mala maña
5. Me le fugué a la candela
*The Digital track listing mirrors the vinyl track list.
About Fania:
Highly influential, both musically and culturally, Fania Records spread the sound of salsa music from the clubs of New York City to the rest of the world and became a revered global brand in the process. Fania’s master recording catalog is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo, salsa and Latin Soul, and includes artistic giants such as Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe and Rubén Blades. With the creation of the international supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars, the label’s signature musical style became known as the “Fania Sound.” Fania’s rich master catalog also includes the Pete Rodriguez’s boogaloo classic “I Like It Like That” which was sampled by Cardi B in her #1 hit “I Like It.” Additionally, three Fania Recordings, Celia & Johnny by Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco, Azucar Pa’ Ti by Eddie Palmieri and Live at Yankee Stadium by the Fania All-Stars, appear in the National Recording Registry, a list of sound recordings that “are culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.” For more info, visit Fania.com and follow on YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
About Craft Latino:
Craft Latino is home to one of the largest and most prestigious collections of Latin music master recordings and compositions in the world. Its rich and storied repertoire includes legendary artists such as Antonio Aguilar, Joan Sebastian, Pepe Aguilar, Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, Ray Barretto, La Lupe, Ruben Blades, the Fania All Stars and Daddy Yankee to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Musart, Fania, TH, Panart, West Side Latino and Kubaney, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation, ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover.
Craft Latino is the Latin repertoire arm of Craft Recordings, the catalog label team for Concord. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com.
