The Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally.^[1] The award goes to solo artists, duos, or groups for releasing vocal or instrumental albums containing at least 51% of new recordings in the traditional tropical music category which includes genres such as son, danzón, guaracha and bomba interpreted in a traditional style.^[2]

Musicians originating from Cuba have dominated the category though the award has also been presented to artists from Puerto Rico, Spain and the United States. It was first earned by Tito Puente with Mambo Birdland at the 1st Latin Grammy Awards ceremony held in 2000.^[3]

Cachao is the only artist to have won this category three times, the last one posthumously (the first one to be awarded in this fashion).^[4] Cachao also leads in number of nominations with four, followed by Ibrahim Ferrer and Eliades Ochoa with three nominations each. It is worth mentioning that Buena Vista Social Club members have been nominated ten times combined, excluding the two nominations by Juan de Marcos González (with Afro-Cuban All Stars and Sierra Maestra, respectively).

Winners and nominees

Tito Puente was the first winner of this category in 2000.

Bebo Valdés won this award twice, in 2002 with Israel López "Cachao" and Carlos "Patato" Valdés, and in 2004 with Diego El Cigala.

2003 winner Ibrahim Ferrer.

Deceased Cachao López received the award posthumously in 2011, having also won in 2002 and 2005. He also holds the record for most wins with three as well as most nominations with four.

2010 winner Concha Buika.

2013 winner Arturo Sandoval.

Two-time winners Sonora Santanera. They were also the first group to win the award.

Jon Secada won in 2017 alongside The Charlie Sepúlveda Big Band.

Cuban singer Aymée Nuviola won in 2022 with Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

2023 winner Omara Portuondo.

Year[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
2000	Tito Puente	Mambo Birdland	Joe Arroyo – En Sol Mayor Cachao – Cuba Linda Ibrahim Ferrer – Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer Carlos Vives – El Amor De Mi Tierra	[3]
2001	Celia Cruz	Siempre Viviré	Celina González and Reutilio – 50 Años...Como Una Reina Los Super Seven – Canto Plena Libre – Mas Libre Omara Portuondo – Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo	[5]
2002	Bebo Valdés Trio with Israel López "Cachao" and Carlos "Patato" Valdés	El Arte del Sabor	Nelson González – Pa' Los Treseros Totó la Momposina – Pacantó Various Artists; Juan Pablo Torres (producer) – Cuban Masters – Los Originales Charlie Zaa – De Un Solo Sentimiento	[6]
2003	Ibrahim Ferrer	Buenos Hermanos	The Mambo All Stars Orchestra – 50 Years of Mambo Polo Montañez – Guitarra Mía Eliades Ochoa – Estoy Como Nunca Plena Libre – Mi Ritmo	[7]
2004	Bebo Valdés and Diego El Cigala	Lágrimas Negras	Las Hermanas Márquez – Paquito D'Rivera Presents las Hermanas Márquez Manny Manuel – Serenata Danny Rivera and “El Topo” Antonio Cabán Vale – Amigos del Alma Tropicana All Stars – Tropicana All Stars Recuerda A Benny Moré	[8]
2005	Cachao	¡Ahora Sí!	Manny Manuel – Nostalgia Manuel "El Guajiro" Mirabal – Buena Vista Social Club Presents: Manuel Guajiro Mirabal Omara Portuondo – Flor De Amor Tropicana All Stars – Tradición	[9]
2006	Andy Montañez and Pablo Milanés	AM/PM Líneas Paralelas	Chucho Avellanet – Esta Noche Está Para Boleros Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars – Step Forward – The Next Generation Compay Segundo – Siempre Compay Melina León and Los Tri-O – Serenata En San Juan Plena Libre – Evolución	[10]
2007	Bobby Cruz	Románticos De Ayer, Hoy y Siempre	Francisco Céspedes – Con El Permiso De Bola Ibrahim Ferrer – Mi Sueño La Charanga Cubana – A Comer Chicharrón Alfredo Valdés Jr. – De La Habana A Nueva York	[11]
2008	Gloria Estefan	90 Millas	Albita, Rey Ruiz and Donato Poveda – Cuba: Un Viaje Musical Chucho Avellanet with Trío Los Andinos – Bohemio Edwin Colón Zayas – El Cuarto Puertorriqueño... Reafirmación Victor Manuelle – Una Navidad A Mi Estilo	[12]
2009	Gilberto Santa Rosa	Una Navidad Con Gilberto	Orquesta América – Siempre A Punto María Dolores Pradera y Los Sabandeños – Te Canto Un Bolero Totó La Momposina – La Bodega Orestes Vilató – It's About Time	[13]
2010	Concha Buika	El Último Trago	Pedro Jesus – Tributo a Orlando Contreras "El Jefe del Despecho" Septeto Habanero – 90 Años, Orgullos de los Soneros Sierra Maestra – Sonando Ya Various Artists; Edesio Alejandro, Nelson Estevez & Juan Hidalgo (producers) – 100 Sones Cubanos	.[14]
2011	Cachao	The Last Mambo	Albita – Toda Una Vida (Cuban Masterworks) Adalberto Álvarez – El Son de Altura Esencia – Con La Fuerza de un Tren Septeto Santiaguero – Oye Mi Son Santiaguero	[15]
2012	Eliades Ochoa	Un Bolero Para Tí	Miguel García – Guarachando Plenealo – Soy Yo Quinteto Criollo – La Trova de Siempre Son de Tikiza – Bolero
2013	Arturo Sandoval	Un Siglo De Pasión	Lucy Fabery and Humberto Ramírez – Sentimentales Miriam Ramos with Barbarito Torres, Ernán Lopez-Nussa and Rolando Luna – La Canción Cubana Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro – La Habana Tiene Su Son Septeto Santiaguero – Vamos Pa' la Fiesta
2014	Sonora Santanera	Grandes Éxitos de las Sonoras: Con la Más Grande, La Sonora Santanera	Alquimia La Sonora del XXI – Sentimiento Anacobero Eliades Ochoa y El Cuarteto Patria – El Eliades Que Soy Pijuan and Los Baby Boomer Boys – Solo Pa' los Jóvenes... de Corazón Viento de Agua – Opus IV
2015	José Alberto "El Canario" and Septeto Santiaguero	Tributo A Los Compadres No Quiero Llanto	Checo Acosta – #SiguedeModa Rafael "Pollo" Brito – Homenaje A Tito Rodríguez Alain Pérez – El Alma del Son – Tributo A Matamoros Sonlokos – Locos Por El Son
2016	Sonora Santanera	La Sonora Santanera En Su 60 Aniversario	Rafael Pollo Brito – Pa' Tío Simón Jesús "Chino" Miranda – El Malquerido: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro – El Más Grande y Universal Various Artists; Luis Amed Irizarry (album producer) – Cuba y Puerto Rico Son...
2017	Jon Secada featuring The Charlie Sepúlveda Big Band	To Beny Moré with Love	Albita – Albita El Septeto Santiaguero – Raíz La Colmenita (Various Artists); José Manuel García Suárez (album producer) – El Añejo Jardín Babalú Quinteto – Cuba Sobre Cuerdas
2018	José Alberto El Canario & El Septeto Santiaguero	A Mi Qué - Tributo a los Clásicos Cubanos	Rubén Blades with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta – Medoro Madera La Sonora Santanera – La Fiesta Continúa Omara Portuondo – Omara Siempre María Rivas – Motivos	[16]
2019	Andrés Cepeda	Andrés Cepeda Big Band (Live)	Olga Cerpa and Mestisay – Vereda Tropical Yelsy Heredia – Lo Nuestro Aymée Nuviola – A Journey Through Cuban Music Septeto Acarey – La Llave Del Son	[17]
2020	Orquesta Aragón	Ícono	Changüí De Guantánamo – Este es Nuestro Changüí Ernesto Fernández – Pa'Lante Orquesta Failde – Failde con Tumbao Mariaca Semprún – Soy Puro Teatro - Homenaje a La Lupe	[18]
2021	Alain Pérez, Issac Delgado and Orquesta Aragón	Cha Cha Chá: Homenaje a lo Tradicional	José Aguirre Cali Big Band – Gente con Alma Chabuco – Chabuco en La Habana Jon Secada & Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Solos Leoni Torres – Alma Cubana	[19]
2022	Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Aymée Nuviola	Gonzalo Rubalcaba y Aymée Nuviola Live in Marciac	Renesito Avich – Café con Cariño Chabuco – Chabuco Desde el Teatro Colón de Bogotá Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro – Gran Combo Pa' Rato Leoni Torres – Canten	[20]
2023	Omara Portuondo	Vida	Estrella Acosta – Tierra, Songs By Cuban Women El Septeto Santiaguero – Y Sigo Pa'lante Sonora Santanera – Tour Sinfónico En Vivo Auditorio Nacional Orquesta Failde – Danzoneando (En Vivo Desde Matanzas) Septeto Acarey de Reynier Pérez – En Tiempo de Son... Homenaje a las Canciones de: Jorge Luis Piloto	[21]

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Latin Grammy Awards held that year.

See also

• Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album
• Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Tropical Album
• Latin Grammy Award for Best Tropical Song

References

External links

• Official site of the Latin Grammy Awards