The late Johnny Pacheco, shown performing in 1988, said of his Fania All-Stars: "I wanted to have the best orchestra ever." (Frans Schellekens / Getty Images) If the New York salsa scene were its own ...

In 1974, at the height of the New York salsa explosion, the Fania All Stars were invited to perform in front of 80,000 people at a stadium in Zaire, Africa.

MIAMI (Billboard) - Hector Lavoe, dead for a decade, is today the most popular name on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, thanks to "El Cantante," the film based on his life, starring Marc Anthony.