Latin Jazz great Sammy Figueroa (b. 1948-) has resided and performed in South Florida since 2001. The son of vocalist Charlie Figueroa, Sammy was born in the Bronx and raised in Puerto Rico. In 1966 at the age of 18, Sammy joined Salsa legend Bobby Valentin’s band, in which he would tour and perform for years. Throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, he was a prolific and in-demand session Latin jazz percussionist, working with such artists as Miles Davis, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, Hall & Oates, Chic, Chaka Khan, Blondie, Carole King, Deodato, David Lee Roth, The Bee Gees, Joe Cocker, Peter Tosh, and many others. He became a founding member of the Latin rock band Raíces in 1977.
At the Hollywood Jazz Festival in 2001, Sammy debuted his group, Sammy Figueroa and His Latin Jazz Explosion, and has recorded and performed with them since. The group has been nominated twice for the Grammy® Award for Best Latin Jazz Album, in 2006 for "...And Sammy Walked In" and in 2007 for "The Magician".From 2010 to 2013, Sammy played and toured with saxophonist Sonny Rollins and appeared on three albums, 'Road Shows Vol. 2', 'Road Shows Vol. 3' and “Holding The Stage, Road Shows Vol. 4'.
Sammy has also co-produced for Ashé records with his wife, producer Rachel Faro. Additionally, Sammy has won the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Award for Percussionist of the Year, two Drummie Awards for Best Hand Percussion, and the Jazz Journalists Association Award for Best Percussionist. Sammy has also become a beloved radio personality on the Sammy Figueroa Show on 88.9 WDNA in Miami, and his webcast ‘“Social Music with Sammy Figueroa’, originally produced by WBAI in New York and currently online on Mixcloud.