by Drago BonacichPuerto Rican La Sonora Ponceña, one of the most popular tropical acts ever, was formed in 1954 by local musicians Enrique Lucca Caraballo and Antonio Santaella, who were previously playing in a band formed in 1944, called El Conjunto Internacional. In 1958, La Sonora Ponceñas first single was released, featuring No Puede Ser and Tan Linda Que Era, making its first performance in the U.S. in September 1960, in New York City. By 1968, after they were joined by Caraballos son, pianist Enrique Lucca Quiñonez, Jr., also known as Papo, La Sonora Ponceña made its first album, called Hacheros Pa un Palo, featuring the Latin classic Amor Verdadero.