His father was a well-known figure in salsa in Puerto Rico. He toured with his All-Star Band, performed in popular nightclubs in New York City, and eventually became the house band at the Caribe Hilton Hotel.
After Mario Ortiz Jr. received a master's degree in jazz pedagogy from the University of Miami Frost School of Music and is currently a public school music teacher at Ben Sheppard Elementary and Ernest Graham Elementary in Hialeah, Florida.
