“I met John 'Dandy' Rodriguez in 1962 at the Palladium Ballroom, when he was playing four nights a week with Tito Puente at only 17 years old, and still in high school,” recalls LP and Congahead founder, Martin Cohen.

“Dandy played practically every instrument I ever made and was not shy about giving his honest opinion,” remarks Martin.

 “While this felt like a kick in the gut sometimes, constructive criticism was, of course, exactly what I needed to hear. Understanding precisely what it was the players were looking for, and building exactly that, is a large part of why LP was so successful."

Dandy was a longtime percussionist of bands led by Tito Puente and Ray Barretto, as well was a co-founder of the Latin collective, Típica 73. In the late ‘70s, Dandy also toured the world with The Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble (also featuring Puente, Carlos ‘Patato’ Valdés, and others), which opened up new markets for Latin jazz and the LP brand.

“Dandy was a great help in placing the stamp of legitimacy on LP drums,” recalls Martin. “There were a few key performers in the early days that were greatly respected not only for their playing skills but also for their attention to tone and musicality. Dandy was one of these performers. To have him endorse my drums was a huge deal for me personally, and also for LP as a growing company.”