Charlie Cruz is one of the new stars of the salsa music genre. His start was well received by the Puerto Rican recording industry. Born in 1975 in Puerto Rico Cruz was the oldest of seven siblings. He lived his adolescent years in Paterson, New Jersey, in the United States, where he grew to love salsa music. His models were exponents of the Afro-Caribbean genre such as Héctor Lavoe and Frankie Ruiz. His musical career started by singing chorus for his father, Fonzy Cruz, who recorded three records.