Orlando Medina

Timbales

Born in Rio Piedras, P.R. Orlando started learning timbales at the age of 9. Moving to Bayamon, P.R. in 1977, he had the opportunity to play at many parties in the area and sharpen his skills. Joining the Army in 1982, he played with different orchestras, such as "La Fuerza latina" in Hawaii (1985-1989), "Latin Fire" in Virginia (1990), "Latin Sound" and "Latin Power" in Ft Campbell (1996-1998), "La Clave Tropical" in Korea (1999), in which he recorded a CD and competed with them in the Army's "Battle of The Bands" winning first place as best percussionist. In 2000-2001, he played with Al Delory y su Mambo 98, a band with several gold records and a two-times grammy winner. Arriving in San Antonio in August 2001, he joined La Orquesta Tropicante, and has been a valuable asset to the band ever since.