Juan Luis Guerra
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| Juan Luis Guerra Y 440 | ||
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 Juan Luis Guerra during a concert in Boston, MA.
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| Background information | ||
| Born | June, 7, 1957 | |
| Origin | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |
| Genre(s) | Merengue, Bachata, Salsa | |
| Members | ||
| Juan Luis Guerra, Musicians | ||
| Notable instrument(s) | ||
| Guitars,Drums | ||
Juan Luis Guerra (born June 7, 1957 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is one of the most internationally recognized Dominican singer/songwriters. His pop style of merengue and bolero and Afro-pop/Latin fusion have garnered him considerable success outside the Dominican Republic. Juan Luis Guerra is sometimes associated with the popular Dominican music called bachata, and while this association is partially true, he actually uses the basics of bachata rhythm with a more bolero feel to the melodies in some of his songs. But he does not limit himself to one style of music, so he incorporates diverse rhythms like merengue, salsa, balada, rock, and gospel. "Ojalá que llueva café" is one of his most acclaimed pieces.
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[edit] Education
After studying philosophy and literature for a year at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Guerra switched to the Conservatorio Nacional de Música where he finished his undergraduate study. Guerra was a great admirer, at this time, of the music movement nueva canción, embodied by Pablo Milanés and Silvio Rodríguez, among others.
After finishing his studies at the Santo Domingo conservatory, Guerra went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston to study composition and arranging in 1982.
[edit] Career
After his return to the Dominican Republic, he released his first album, Soplando (1984) with a group of local musicians which subsequently became known as Juan Luis Guerra y 440. Note that the band's name in Spanish is officially publicized as Cuatro Cuarenta (Four Forty), a shortening of the normally strict reading of number four hundred and forty. The 440 part of the band's name refers to the standard tuning "A=440." Reportedly the name for the band came from a practice session where Juan Luis's brother suggested the name, because the name would reflect how "in-tune and precise they were."
Two albums followed, Mudanza y Acarreo and Mientras más lo pienso ... tú. Although they saw little acclaim internationally, the band garnered some fame in their country.
Their next album, in 1989, brought them international fame. Ojalá que Llueva Cafe (If only it would rain coffee), a slow melodic number with superfast background tracks, became a number one hit in many Latin American countries, with the hit song of the same name. Subsequently, a video of the hit song was filmed and Juan Luis Guerra and his 440 band began touring. (The song's fame was revived in 1996 with a cover by Café Tacuba). In 1990, they released their next album, Bachata Rosa, which also became a major hit and earned him his first Grammy award. The album, having sold more than 5 million copies at that time, allowed Guerra to keep touring Latin America, USA and Europe. This album contains memorable love songs such as "Burbujas de amor" (Bubbles of Love) and "Estrellitas y Duendes" ("Stars and dwarfs").
Guerra became a controversial figure in the Dominican Republic after he released his next album, Areito. "Areito" (1992), featured the hit single "El costo de la vida," ("The Cost of Living/Cost of Life") but the video version was banned in several countries.
He protested against the poor conditions in many Latin American countries, the celebration of the discovery of the Americas "(1492)", and the double standard policies of first world nations. ('Areito' is a Taino word for song and dance).
That situation might have had something to do with his next album, Fogaraté (1995), where he stayed away from recording any protest songs.
One of his most recent albums, Ni es lo Mismo ni es Igual (It's not the Same nor is it Equal) (1998), garnered much critical acclaim. It won three Latin Grammys in 2000.
In 2004, Guerra released his first new album in six years. Entitled "Para Ti" (For you), the album's songs are mostly religious in nature, reflecting Guerra's conversion to Evangelical Christianity. With this album the singer won two awards at the 2005 Billboards in the categories of Gospel-Pop and Tropical-Merengue, for the hit single Las Avispas, being this the first time ever that the same song wins these two categories at the same time. In the same time, Guerra was honored with the Latino Special Award for the Music Academy of Spain for his contributions to the music of his country and the Caribbean in the last 20 years.
Guerra is the uncle-in-law of Miss Universe 2003, Amelia Vega.
Recently, he recorded with famous artists Diego Torres in "Abriendo Caminos" and with Maná in "Bendita luz". He has also opened the concert of The Rolling Stones in 2006 in Puerto Rico and was invited by Sting to sing with him in a concert at Altos de Chavón, La Romana in Domincan Republic in 2006. At the Premio Lo Nuestro awards in 2007, he was given the honorary lifetime achievement award. He also performed the lead single off of his new album, "El Llave De Mi Corazon."
He has recorded in English, the song "July 14th" in Fogaraté(1995) and more recently "Medicine for my soul" of his upcoming album.
[edit] Discography
- Soplando,1983
- Mudanza y Acarreo,1984-1985
- Mientras más lo pienso tú,1986
- Ojalá que llueva Café,1988
- Bachata Rosa,1990
- Areíto,1992
- Fogarate,1994
- Grandes Exitos Juan Luis Guerra y 440
- No Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual,1998
- Para Ti,2004
- La Llave de mi corazon, march 19th 2007
[edit] Reference
- Manuel, Peter. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae.
