Luis Ernesto Quintero Vegas, known as Luisito Quintero, was born in the Caracas, Venezuela neighborhood of San Agustín. His father, Luis Quintero Sr., was a respected percussionist in his native country, and tutored and encouraged his son to play timbales at a young age. Quintero performed with The New Generation at eight years old, with El Trabuco Venezolano at twelve, and joined world-renowned Salsa singer Oscar D’León a year later.

He remained with D’León for more than a decade before moving to New York City, where he quickly integrated into the NYC Latin music and jazz scene. His reputation as one of the best percussionists garnered him opportunities to perform and record with legendary artists and serve as musical director for some acts. He incorporates a variety of percussion instruments: timbales, congas, bongos, drum sets, the West African djembe, and dundun, and many others. 

He has participated in over 700 musical productions, spanning a variety of genres. Between the GRAMMYs and Latin GRAMMYs, Quintero has over 60 GRAMMY Awards to his credit, including Best Latin Jazz Album with Chick Corea and The Spanish Heart Band, and Best Tropical Latin Album with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. In 2024 he released the third album with his GRAMMY-nominated band, Quintero's Salsa Project.