The Blackout All-Stars

Lore & Background

The Blackout All-Stars were formed to record the theme song for the 1994 film 'I Like It Like That'. The track, a salsa-style cover of a 1967 Pete Rodriguez song originally co-written by Tony Pabón, was produced by Sergio George with Tito Nieves on lead vocals. It was released on CD and 12" singles in late 1994, but the film bombed and the single was initially ignored.

In mid-1995, club DJs began picking up the track, leading to a remix by Bobby D'Ambrosio for a compilation album. A third edit by New York dance station WKTU in summer 1996 spurred club interest in New York and New Jersey. Columbia Records then placed the song in a national Burger King commercial, prompting a CD single release of a shortened D'Ambrosio edit. The song climbed the US pop charts, peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996.

The group remained a one-off despite the song's renewed popularity. Several members have since died: Tito Puente in 2000, Ray Barretto in 2006, and Dave Valentin in 2017.

Reader's Guide

The Blackout All-Stars represent a unique case of a supergroup assembled for a film soundtrack that achieved chart success years after its initial release, largely through grassroots club play and corporate advertising. Their only single, 'I Like It', demonstrates how a song can find a second life through remixes, radio support, and commercial placement, bypassing the typical promotional machinery. The group's significance lies in its demonstration of the unpredictable path to a hit in the mid-1990s, as well as its assembly of prominent Latin and jazz musicians. The track's inclusion in a Burger King commercial was a key factor in its belated popularity, highlighting the growing role of advertising in music discovery. The Blackout All-Stars' legacy is tied to this single, which remains a footnote in the careers of its distinguished members, several of whom have since passed away.

Did You Know?

• The group's only single, 'I Like It', was originally recorded in 1967 by Pete Rodriguez with Tony Pabón on lead vocals under the title 'I Like It Like That'.
• The track was remixed by Bobby D'Ambrosio for a compilation album called 'Global Basics: Dance Music for the Millennium'.
• Tito Nieves attempted to follow up the hit with a dance-inflected recording of the Joe Cuba song 'Bang Bang', but it did not reach the Billboard Hot 100.

Formation & the Dream Roster

The Blackout All-Stars was a one-time collaboration assembled in 1994 that brought together an extraordinary roster of Latin and jazz musicians. The core lineup featured Ray Barretto, Sheila E., Tito Puente, Tito Nieves, Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Valentin, and Grover Washington Jr. — a combination that spanned salsa, Latin jazz, and smooth jazz. Beyond these headline names, the recording also featured a supporting band of session players: Jose "Ite" Jerez on trumpet, Luis Disla on baritone saxophone, William Cepeda on trombone, and Ruben Rodriguez on bass. Despite the sheer star power of the ensemble, the project was strictly a one-off. The group never recorded a second session, never toured together, and never reformed. Their entire output consisted of a single track, making them one of the most unusual supergroups in Latin music history.

A Song with Deep Roots

The track "I Like It" has roots that stretch back decades before the supergroup's 1994 recording. The song was originally co-written by Tony Pabón and first recorded in 1967 by Pete Rodriguez, with Pabón singing lead under the title "I Like It Like That." When the Blackout All-Stars version was produced, it was styled as a salsa arrangement and commissioned as the theme song for the 1994 film of the same name. The track appeared on the first of the movie's two soundtrack volumes. Sergio George handled production and was the one who brought Tito Nieves aboard as the lead vocalist, a role that would define the song's identity. The recording was issued on CD and 12-inch vinyl singles, but its initial promotional push in late 1994 fell flat — the film itself had underperformed, and the single received little attention from the industry.

From Forgotten Theme to Top-40 Hit

What began as a forgotten film theme became one of the most unlikely pop hits of the mid-1990s. In mid-1995, club DJs in New York and New Jersey started spinning the track, and remixer Bobby D'Ambrosio reworked it into a Latin dance edit for the compilation Global Basics: Dance Music for the Millennium. A third edit by New York dance radio station WKTU pushed the record into heavy rotation during the summer of 1996, igniting a wave of club demand across the Northeast. Columbia Records, sensing momentum, placed the song into a nationally aired Burger King commercial, which gave it massive mainstream exposure. A CD single featuring a shortened version of the D'Ambrosio edit was pressed, and the track began its climb up the US pop charts. Remarkably, at the height of its popularity, "I Like It" was the only song in the Top 40 without an accompanying music video. It ultimately peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A One-Night Legacy

Despite the song's chart success, the Blackout All-Stars never reformed or recorded additional material, remaining a true one-off. Tito Nieves, riding the wave of "I Like It," included it on his solo album of the same name and attempted to follow up with a dance-inflected cover of the Joe Cuba classic "Bang Bang," but that track failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100. The group's members gradually passed away over the following years: Grover Washington Jr. died of a heart attack in December 1999, Tito Puente succumbed to heart failure in May 2000, Ray Barretto died in February 2006, and Dave Valentin passed in 2017. The Blackout All-Stars' single recording thus stands as a permanent snapshot of a moment when salsa legends, jazz greats, and a rising Latin pop star shared a studio — a collaboration that, by all accounts, was never meant to last beyond one song.

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