He has a star on the Hollywood Saunter of Fame, plus has been described as "the inventor of the mambo". He is careful a master of descarga (Latin jam sessions). Lopez has won more than a few Grammy Awards for together his own work and his contributions on albums by Latin music stars, including Gloria Estefan. In 1995, he won a Grammy intended for Master Sessions Quantity 1.

Actor Andy Garcia shaped a documentary entitled Cachao.