From Salsa to the Summit: How Latin Music Made Grammy History — Twice

In February 1976, Eddie Palmieri broke new ground at the Grammy Awards. His album The Sun of Latin Music earned the first-ever Best Latin Recording Grammy. The first time the Recording Academy created a category specifically for Latin music, and the first time a Latin record received formal recognition on that stage. That moment marked a turning point: a clear acknowledgment that Latin sounds belonged in the broader story of modern music.

Eddie Palmieri: The Sun of Latin Music

Palmieri’s influence didn’t stop there. Spanning a career of more than seven decades and multiple Grammys. He passed away on August 6, 2025, at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy as one of Latin music’s greatest innovators and ambassadors. His death was widely mourned across the music world, with tributes highlighting the profound depth and global reach of his work in salsa and Latin jazz.

Fast forward to the 2026 Grammy Awards, and history took another leap forward. Bad Bunny’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the first fully Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year, the Recording Academy’s most prestigious honor and a milestone that had never happened before in the event’s nearly seven-decade history.

Bad Bunny: Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Palmieri’s 1976 win opened doors, showing that Latin music deserved space within the Grammy universe. Decades later, Bad Bunny’s triumph didn’t just claim one of the night’s biggest prizes — it showed that Spanish music could stand at the very center of global popular culture.