Luis Vargas | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luis Rafael Valdez Vargas |
| Born | 23 May 1961 Monte Cristi Province, Dominican Republic |
| Genres | [1] |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
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Luis Rafael Valdez Vargas (born 23 May 1961) is a Dominican musician and singer. He became involved in popular music after meeting a local musician who taught him how to play guitar. [2]
Vargas was born in 1961 in Las Matas de Santa Cruz in the Monte Cristi province. He grew up in a poor household. He became involved in bachata music after meeting a local musician who taught him how to play guitar. [3] He developed his style with influences from Blas Durán and Eladio Romero Santos. [4]
Vargas entered onto the bachata scene in the early 1980s. He was one of the first bachata artists to go into the Latin mainstream. [5] Vargas is credited as the first bachatero to use guitar pedals, who he got the idea from bachata sound engineer Rafael Montilla. Montilla added a chorus pedal to Vargas guitar while recording his album El Maiz in 1991. [6] He is also credited as the first bachatero to implement the use of humbucker pickups on acoustic electric guitars. [7] Luis Vargas self-produced, promoted and sold his first albums in the early 1980's. Supported by local artists Pedro Pimentel, Artemio Sánchez, and Antonio Carrasco, his music began being played by local radio stations. After issuing his music through an independent label called José Luis Records, Sony Discos (now Sony Music Latin) signed him in 1996, releasing Volvio el Dolor in 1997. He is the first bachata artist signed to Sony Music Latin. [8] Antony Santos, considered by some to be one of the most influential bachata musicians of all time, was his güira player. Vargas was Santos guitar mentor. After Santos left Vargas group to form his own, they soon became rivals. They even released diss tracks to one another, including "El Envidioso", "El Brazo Largo", "El Gato Seco", "El Charlatan", among others. [9] Vargas became famous for his guitar licks and double entendres. [10] He is known as "El Rey Supremo de la Bachata," ("the supreme king of the bachata") not to be confused with Aventura, "Los Reyes de la Bachata Moderna" ("the kings of modern bachata"). Aventura has credited Luis Vargas as one of the groups inspirations, although they had conflicts with Vargas in the past. [11]
Aventura is an American bachata group formed in The Bronx, New York. With the lineup always consisting of the members Romeo Santos, Henry Santos, Lenny Santos, and Max Santos, they are regarded as one of the most influential Latin groups of all time. All of the members are of Dominican descent, although Romeo is also half Puerto Rican on his mother's side. They were the first major bachata act to have originated in the United States instead of the Dominican Republic. The group was integral to the evolution of bachata music and are the pioneers of the modern bachata sound.
Bachata is a genre of music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the 20th century. It contains elements of European, indigenous Taino and African musical elements, representing the cultural diversity of the Dominican population.
Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano, better known as Johnny Ventura nicknamed El Caballo Mayor, was a Dominican singer and band leader of merengue and salsa.
Raulín Marte Rodríguez is a Dominican-Mexican bachata artist. He is one of the first major bachata artists to have international success. As a pioneer of the bachata genre, he helped grow the genre's popularity in the 1990s. While traditional bachata songs were often risque and suggestive, Raulín Rodríguez's idealized romantic lyrics widened the appeal of the genre of bachata, helping it get regular radio play. Rodriguez is known as "El Cacique" and is one of the most established musicians to ever come from the Dominican Republic. He has many international hits, including the songs: "Nereyda", "Medicina de Amor", "Soledad", Esta Noche, and many more. Three of them have been certified Platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Domingo Antonio Santos Muñoz, known professionally as Antony Santos, is a Dominican musician and singer. One of the top-selling bachata artists of all time, he is known as one of the pioneers of modern bachata in the early 1990s, with his role in redefining the genre to include romantic lyrics, poppy guitar licks, and implementation of new instruments, such as the piano and saxophone. He became the first rural bachatero to reach a mainstream audience with his hit single, "Voy Pa'lla". He has had success with other hits like "Por Mi Timidez", "No Te Puedo Olvidar", "Me Quiero Morir", "Lloro", "Solo Te Amo", "Se Acabó El Abuso", among others. Today, Santos is unanimously considered the greatest bachata artist of all time. He is known as "El Mayimbe" of Bachata, and is the second Dominican musician to acquire this moniker, after Fernando Villalona. He is also known as El Bachatú, the nickname he originally started with.
Zacarías Ferreíra is a Dominican singer. He is a Bachata artist known worldwide for his hits such as "Es Tan Dificil", "Asesina", "La Mejor de Todas", "Mañana en tu Olvido", "Amiga Veneno", "La Avispa" among others. He is one of the most representative voices in bachata. He is known as "La Voz de la Ternura" because of his soft and melodic voice.
Frank Reyes is a Dominican singer. Known as the Prince of Bachata, he is regarded as one of the best known bachata artists of all time and famous throughout Latin America. He is a 7 time Bachata of the Year winner at the Soberano Awards, making him the most awarded artist in that category. He is known for hits like "Vine a Decirte Adios", "Con el Amor No Se Juega", "Tu Eres Ajena", "Nada De Nada", "Quién Eres Tu", "Princesa", "Amor a Distancia", "Decidí", among others.
We Broke the Rules is the second studio album by the American band Aventura, released on July 2, 2002, by Premium Latin music. On the album, Aventura incorporated elements of pop, hip hop, and R&B into bachata, giving what critics thought was a new flavor to the genre and extending its appeal to those who preferred urban music styles. The album introduces to the mainstream a new style of bachata known as "the New York school", or "urban bachata", characterized by the inclusion of electric guitars instead of acoustic, and lyrics in Spanish and English instead of just Spanish. In addition, the singing style takes after R&B melodies. The album's themes mainly included heartbreak and melancholy, although it also included social themes like in "Amor de Madre", or "Mother's Love", which is a song describing the lifelong struggle of a prostitute and her son.
The 2008 Billboard Latin Music Awards, produced and broadcast live on Telemundo, was held on Thursday, April 10, 2008. The award show aired on Telemundo at 7pm EST.
Elvis Martínez a.k.a. El Camarón is a Dominican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is a well known Bachata artist from the Dominican Republic. He is known for hits such as "Maestra", "La Luz De Mis Ojos", "Asi Te Amo", "Yo Te Voy Amar", "Laudano", "Directo al Corazon", "El Profesor","Aventura", among others.
Anthony "Romeo" Santos is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who is best known as the frontman and lead vocalist of the bachata group Aventura. In 2002, the song "Obsesión" was number one in Italy for 16 consecutive weeks. He released several albums with Aventura before the group broke up. Since then, Santos has embarked on a solo career which has created seven number one songs on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and seventeen number ones on the Tropical Airplay chart. Romeo Santos has sold over 24 million copies making him one of the best-selling Latin artists.
Louis "El Maravilloso" Loizides is one of the founders of the bachata movement in the Dominican Republic. Several of the island's most popular bachata musicians, such as Luis Vargas and Antony Santos, have labeled Louis the father of Bachata music.
Henry Santos Jeter is a Dominican singer, songwriter, and producer. Best known for his tenure as a singer and songwriter in the bachata group Aventura. During his time with the group, he produced, wrote and was the lead singer in the songs "9:15", "Déjà Vu", "Voy Malacostumbrado", and Princesita as well as being the background vocalist in most tracks. He made his debut as a solo artist in 2011. Since then, he has released hit singles like "Poquito A Poquito", "Por Nada", "My Way", "La Vida", among others. Santos has released 5 studio albums and 1 live album. He has been featured in other songs with other artist, including Bad Bunny, Anthony Santos & Pavel Núñez. He is also a dancer, actor and art designer.
Fórmula, Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by American singer Romeo Santos, released on November 8, 2011, by Sony Music Latin. It is Santos's first album as a solo artist following the break-up of American bachata group Aventura, of which he was the lead singer. The record contains fifteen tracks, most of which were composed by Santos and co-produced with Ivan Chevere. The album experiments with the sound of bachata and other genres including R&B and flamenco. It features several Anglophone and Hispanophone guest artists including Usher, Tomatito, Mario Domm, and Lil Wayne. Recording for the album took place in 2011 at The Castle, Fight Klub, and EMG Studios in New York City. A deluxe edition of the album containing five extra tracks was released exclusively in Walmart retail stores in the United States.
Joan Soriano is a Dominican bachata singer and guitarist from the Dominican Republic. His style is a blend of modern with traditional bachata. Since the 1980s, Joan's guitar and arrangements have graced many hit bachatas by other artists, and since 2008, he has begun to make a name for himself internationally.
Bachata #1's, Vol. 2 is a compilation album released by Machete Music. The recording features tracks performed by several artist from the bachata genre, such as Aventura, Xtreme, Toby Love, Óptimo, Monchy & Alexandra, Leny, Domenic Marte, Zacarías Ferreíra, Frank Reyes, Carlos & Alejandra, Joe Veras, Yoskar "El Prabu Sarante", and Alex Bueno. It also features a bachata performed by Latin pop singer Luis Fonsi exclusive to this release.
Marino Perez, also known as Esteban Perez, is considered one of the greatest bachateros of all time. Known as "The Father of Bitter Bachata", Perez wrote music that often dealt with the hardships of prison life, prostitution, and his struggles with alcoholism. His career peaked in the 70s and 80s with a long list of hits, including Ay Mami, La Historia De Marino, and No La Quiero Ver Con Otro.
Utopía is the fourth studio album by American singer Romeo Santos, released on April 5, 2019, by Sony Music Latin. This album featured collaborations with some of the greatest artist in the history of Bachata. It also included the reunion of Aventura as Romeo along with Henry, Lenny, and Max would release their first single as a group in 10 years.
"Bachata Rosa" is a song by Dominican Republic singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra released in 1991 and served as the lead seventh and final from his fifth studio album Bachata Rosa (1990). Along with Estrellitas y Duendes and Como Abeja Al Panal, is one of Guerra's first international hits and helped to contribute to the bachata sophistication and have recognition in Latin America and Europe. The track was a commercial success, toping the airplay charts in Mexico and was the fourth single of the album to peak insade of the top 10 at the US Hot Latin Tracks.
The Live Album: Sólo Éxitos is the first live album by bachata singer Henry Santos as a solo artist. This is his second production to be released under his own record label, HustleHard Entertainment on February 24, 2017. This album features his best songs from his first three solo studio albums and his songs from his time with Aventura. All tracks are performed live.
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