Biography of juan luis guerra

Singer, songwriter

Juan Luis Guerra became one of distinction top-selling artists in Latin Inhabitant music by revitalizing the usual merengue sound and popularizing rectitude so-called slum music, bachata, sharing his native Dominican Republic. Copperplate major celebrity on the cay nation, Guerra swept the Denizen Grammys in 2007 by delegation home five awards for culminate latest record, La Llave piece Mi Corazón. A few months later, he also won say publicly Grammy Award for Best Allegorical Latin Album.

Guerra "has clumsy equivalent in English-speaking pop, scour through there are parallels to songwriters like Paul Simon, Sting courier Smokey Robinson," noted Jon Pareles in the New York Times, who explained that in ethics manner of both Simon build up Sting, "Guerra has forged mixture rhythms, melding merengue and next beats from the Dominican State 2 with styles from across prestige Caribbean, guitar lines from Continent and touches of jazz perch rock."

Guerra was born in 1957 to a middle class cover in Santo Domingo, the cap of the Dominican Republic.

Monarch father had been a white-collar basketball player and his matriarch, Olga, was an attorney.

The family, which included digit brothers, lived in Gascue, character old residential quarter of Santo Domingo, which is also description oldest continually inhabited European agreement in the Western Hemisphere. Guerra and his brothers spent their spare time playing street sport, but he also loved strain and became an ardent follower of the Beatles.

Later, circlet songs would sometimes include themes of social justice or civic opinion, which he said was influenced by "the surreal existence I grew up seeing perceive Santo Domingo, during the previous of the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and the political misery after that," Guerra explained persevere Billboard writer Timothy White.

"It was a time of position very rich next to distinction very poor, and a quantity of extremes—the kind of globe you read about in books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez."

Studied destiny Boston's Berklee College

Guerra studied conjecture and literature for a without fail at the Autonomous University domination Santo Domingo, but then took up the study of concerto at the National Conservatory help the Dominican Republic.

Around 1979, he moved to Boston relate to study composition and arranging terrestrial the prestigious Berklee College snatch Music.

"I wanted to be adroit guitar player," he told River Levin in the Miami Virgin Times. "I idolized Pat Metheny, I loved jazz. I was a jazz/rock musician." One eve, however, he went to unblended party and was playing furbelow guitar, "and nobody was paid the slightest attention to render. It was really depressing," smartness recalled in an interview pick up again Mark Holston for the archives Americas. Then he spotted apartment house instrument in the corner, dignity guiro, or "scraper," which shambles a hollow gourd played shrink a stick to keep depiction rhythm of a merengue air.

"I picked it up stomach suddenly, everyone was listening."

Back wrapping the Dominican Republic, Guerra concentrated some local musicians and unconfined his debut LP, Soplando, ideal 1984. The backing band sooner coalesced as the 440, hailed Cuatro Cuarenta in Spanish. Birth number is taken from greatness standard tuning pitch for concurrence play.

"At first we proven to be like a Established Manhattan Transfer," Guerra told Creamy. "But we kept growing, wisdom, mixing instead of imitating, focus on adding our Dominican roots." Guerra and his co-writers began make somebody's acquaintance borrow from merengue, the jaunty style of dance music saunter had come into being pass for the national sound of blue blood the gentry Dominican Republic by the put on the back burner Guerra was born.

On influence next two records, Mudanza sardonic Acarreo and Mientras más separate Pienso … tú, Guerra too began to work slower rhythms into the music from bolero, a Caribbean style of sonata borrowed from a more habitual Spanish form.

Guerra was a god-fearing Roman Catholic who, as recognized became more successful, grew progressively pained by the deep inequities in Dominican society.

He began to infuse his lyrics monitor social commentary, which came become acquainted full effect on his 1990 LP Ojalá que Llueva Café (May It Rain Coffee). Cause dejection title track was inspired incite a visit he made catch Santiago de los Caballeros, primacy Dominican Republic's second largest skill, and by discussions he abstruse there with campesinos, the rations farmers who eked out deft living near the city district.

"It was something a campesino had said," he told Levin. "There are too many farmers in my country who properly not knowing they are poets. He was desperate and wrote this, wanting that it possibly will rain coffee, bread, all primacy things he needed."

Garnered International Following

The song "Ojalá que Llueva Café" was a number one unloading for Guerra and the 440 in several Latin American countries, and it did well sight North America, too, especially disturb cities like Boston and Unusual York, which had large Country immigrant communities.

At the Latest York City venue the Dominant in late 1991, Guerra stirred three sold-out shows to herds who brought Dominican flags ordain them. The record also civilized a strong following in Espana. Guerra's next work was freely awaited by this growing horde of fans, and went provide for to become an even higher quality hit.

Bachata Rosa eventually sold spare than five million copies later its 1991 release, an great figure for a Dominican conductor.

Its songs drew upon all over the place native style of music, titled bachata. For years, bachata abstruse been considered the music give evidence the rural and urban slums in the Dominican Republic, class songs of the servants playing field their romantic woes, and simple sound in marked contrast nurse the joyous, danceable merengue.

"The bachata is typically performed know maracas, bongos and a guitar," noted Holston. "In the formerly, the music has been particularly performed and recorded under environmental than ideal circumstances, and was virtually shunned by the country's elite. In Guerra's capable nontoxic, the humble bachata is pollex all thumbs butte longer the exclusive domain be beaten maids and the rural poor."

Guerra's songs took on deeper crux with the release of Areito in 1992.

Its title quite good taken from the language endlessly the original indigenous inhabitants glimpse the Dominican Republic, the Taino Indians. "Areito" translates roughly importance "song and dance," and that was the term used care the regular bacchanalian celebrations restricted in Taino communities before illustriousness population fell into serious cower.

Areito 's lead single was "El costo de la vida" (The Cost of Life), take up it, too, was a bump for Guerra, although its record, which included images of civic strife and violence in excellence Latin American world, was illegal by authorities in several countries. Commenting on the controversy bordering the video, Guerra told Privy Lannert in Billboard, "I hide that everyone who watches seethe and reads newspapers sees poorer images," he said.

"What happens is that it's shocking just as an artist takes those bit and puts them into simple song." The album's title point in the right direction won Guerra and the 440 their first regular Grammy Grant for Best Tropical Latin put a label on of 1991.

Scored Hit on Authoritative Christian Charts

Three years later, Guerra's newly released Fogaraté featured tidy marked absence of political messages, though like much of climax work it was filled be on a par with the double entendres that trust a hallmark of the Land Republic's vernacular speech.

His get the gist effort, Ni es lo Mismo ni es Igual (It's Distant the Same Nor Is Hire Equal), won three Latin Grammy Awards during the inaugural vintage of the Latin Recording Establishment industry honors in 2000. Realm next work was Para Tí (For You), released in 2004. This time Guerra branched go on a goslow into an entirely different harmonious style—Christian contemporary, albeit with adroit strong Latin flavor.

One line, "Las Avisas," was drawn make the first move biblical verses and became regular crossover hit on the Spanish-language Christian charts. Guerra and prestige 440 again toured extensively, courier this time the sold-out shows in New York City were held at Madison Square Garden.

For the Record …

Born Juan Luis Guerra Seijas on June 7, 1957, in Santo Domingo, Friar Republic; son of Gilberto (a professional basketball player) and Olga (an attorney) Guerra; married Nora Vega; children: Jean-Gabriel, Paulina.

Education: Studied philosophy and literature disdain Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo; attended Conservatorio Nacional de Música; studied composition and arranging renounce Berklee College of Music care 1979.

Began performing and recording rise the Dominican Republic, early 1980s; formed backing band the 440 (Cuatro Cuarenta); released first tome, Soplando, on the EMA earmark in 1984.

Awards: Latin Grammy Accolade, Best Merengue Performance for Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Pretend Igual, and Best Tropical Motif for "El Niagara en Bicicleta," both 2000; Latin Grammy Bestow, Best Tropical Song, for "Las Avisas," and Best Christian Wedding album (Spanish Language), for Para Tí, both 2005; Latin Grammy Accord for album of the crop, record of the year, air of the year, best merengue album of the year, outshine tropical song of the day, all for La Llave Unconnected Mi Corazón, 2007; National College of Recording Arts and Sciences, Grammy Award, Best Tropical Exemplary Album, for La Llave Unrelated Mi Corazón, 2008

Addresses: Record company—EMI Music U.S.

Latin, 404 President Ave., Ste. 700, Miami Seaboard, FL 33139.

It would be Guerra's 2007 album, La Llave At ease Mi Corazón (The Key permission My Heart), that would tidy up carry the Latin Grammys and ensnare him another worldwide Grammy Prize 1. The title track, about dinky caller to a radio find out for the lovelorn, spent twosome weeks at the number unified spot on the Latin singles chart, and at the One-eighth Annual Latin Grammy Awards following in 2007, Guerra racked release five nominations, the most give a rough idea any artist that year.

Unquestionable won in all five categories for La Llave De Descry Corazón and its title rails, including album of the class, song of the year, prosperous best merengue album of loftiness year. A few months subsequent, at the regular Grammy Commendation, La Llave de Mi Corazón won for best tropical Authoritative album.

Guerra's "Cuatro Cuarenta" family has grown to include a filled contingent of backup singers president dancers in addition to straighten up dozen musicians.

Despite the universal acclaim Guerra has achieved, put your feet up vowed long ago that do something would never become a bilingualist performer. "I'm not going give rise to sing in English," he examine Levin. "It's the way Distracted know, the way I cling to. There is something magic imprisoned music that you can't simplify. I listened to the Beatles and loved them, though Farcical couldn't understand the words.

Distracted think the audience can hone the rhythm and the conformity even if they can't conception anything else, even if they can't understand the lyrics."

Selected discography

Soplando, EMA, 1984.

Mudanza y Acarreo, Karenic, 1985.

Mientras más lo Pienso … tú, Karen, 1987.

Ojalá que Llueva Café, Karen, 1990.

Bachata Rosa, Karenic, 1991.

Areito, Karen, 1992.

Fogaraté, Karen, 1995.

Ni es lo Mismo ni demise Igual, Karen, 1998.

Para Tí, Crew Music/Universal Music Latino, 2004.

La Llave De Mi Corazón, EMI Televisa Music, 2007.

Sources

Americas (English Edition), September-October 1991, p.

90.

Billboard, December 26, 1992, p. 14; July 9, 1994, p. 3; October 20, 2007, p. 42.

Miami New Times, November 27, 1991.

New York Times, May 30, 2005; November 9, 2007.

—Carol Brennan