Look up Juan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Look up Juan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Juan is a given name, the Spanish language version of John. It is very common in Spain (its origin) and in Spanish-speaking communities around the world. The feminine form is Juana, or Juanita on its diminutive.

Juan (Mandarin pronunciation: [tɕy̯ɛn]; 娟, 隽) is also a common feminine given name for Chinese, although Chinese given names are not fixed. "卷", which is homophonic with the female name, is a division of a traditional Chinese manuscript or book and can be translated as "fascicle", "scroll", "chapter" or "volume". Typically, this is pronounced, as the Spanish name sometimes is in British locales, as two syllables instead of the one and with a voiced instead of an aspirated J.

Famous people[link]

• Juan Almeida Bosque, hero of the Cuban revolution
• Juan Andrés y Morell, Spanish littérateur and historian
• Juan Antonio Samaranch, President Olympic Committee
• Juan Bosch, first 'cleanly' elected president of Dominican Republic
• Juan Carlos I of Spain, the reigning King of Spain
• Juan Carlos Onetti, Uruguayan author
• Juan de la Cierva, Spanish civil engineer and pilot, inventor of the autogyro
• Juan Dominguez y Valdez, Texan military
• Juan Domingo Perón, Argentine general and politician, elected three times as President of Argentina
• Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer and songwriter born as Alberto Aguilera Valadez
• Juan Gris, Spanish painter
• Juan Ignacio Cirac Sasturain, Spanish physicist
• Juan Leal, First Mayor of San Antonio, Texas
• Juan Antonio Llorente, 18th century historian
• Juan Luis Vives, Spanish scholar and humanist
• Juan Luis Arsuaga, Spanish paleontologist
• Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956
• Juan Rulfo (1917–1986), Mexican author
• Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, Spanish medieval writer
• Juan Manuel Blanes, Uruguayan painter
• Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine racing driver
• Juan Manuel Santos, Colombian President-Elect
• Juan Mata, Spanish footballer who plays for English club Chelsea F.C.
• Juan Miro, Catalan painter
• Juan Pierre, Chicago White Sox starting Left fielder and leadoff hitter
• Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentine footballer
• Juan Sebastián Elcano, Spanish explorer who completed the first circumnavigation of the world
• Juan Sebastián Verón Argentine footballer
• Juan Silveira dos Santos, Brazilian footballer, commonly known as Juan
• Juan Trippe the founder of Pan American World Airways
• Gov. Juan Valdez, colonial governor of Texas.
• Juan de Yepes Álvarez, Spanish poet and Catholic Saint (Saint John of the Cross)

Fictional characters[link]

• Juan, a character in the Pokémon universe
• Juan Tamad, a character in Philippine folklore
• Juan Valdez a coffee branding chararcter

See also[link]

• Alternate forms for the name John
• Don Juan (disambiguation)
• João, the corresponding Portuguese name.
• Joan (first name), the corresponding Catalan name.
• Jean (male given name), the corresponding French name.
• San Juan (disambiguation)
• Tropical Storm Juan (disambiguation), a list of hurricanes, typhoons and storms named Juan.

Juan Magán
Background information
Birth name	Juan Manuel Magán González
Also known as	F.A.O.
Born	(1978-09-30) 30 September 1978 (age 33) Badalona, Spain
Genres	House, electronic, hip hop, R&B, dancehall
Occupations	DJ, record producer, remixer, singer
Labels	Sony Music
Website	www.juanmagan.es/

Juan Manuel Magán González (born 30 September 1978) is a Spanish producer, singer, remixer and DJ of electronic music, especially House, R&B, Dancehall and Hip-Hop, recognized internationally for his contributions to the "Electro Latino" category of music.

As a remixer, he has worked with the following artists, among others: Selena, Don Omar, Paulina Rubio, Juanes, Nelly Furtado, Dulce María, MJ, Pitbull, Michael Gray, Milk & Sugar, Bob Sinclar, Gary Nesta Pine, Ian Oliver, Azzido da Bass, Jerry Ropero, E Smoove, Barbara Muñoz, Pier Bucci and INNA

His DJ sets have been played in many of the biggest and most important cities of the world: Barcelona, Ibiza, Madrid, Paris, Miami, Geneva, San Francisco, Rabat, Manila, Dubai, Lisbon, Oporto, Marseille, Lausane, Munich, Milan, Mexico City, Singapore, Panama, Cali, Quito, Bucharest, Las Vegas, Santo Domingo, El Salvador and a long list of others.

His early discography includes "Suave", created with Marcos Rodriguez, which included the greatest electronic and Latin successes of the time on a global level: "Suck My - Suave", "Bora Bora", "Que levante la mano mi gente", "El Globo", "El otro soy yo", "Loco", "Merenguito" were all supported by the most influential DJs and in style in the global House scene, and on top of the official sales list in Spain and on the global level has become the second in the world in total digital sales by Beatport with "Bora Bora".

Juan Magan went double platinum with the singles "Bora Bora", "Verano Azul" and with his album Suave.

He was nominated the Best House Artist in the World by the Beatport Awards.

His most recent work is a compilation of works produced by artists the frequently associated with Juan and in collaboration with Vale Music / Universal Music Spain, which includes many of the successes that in 2009 are the most played out of all dance music. Themes such as "Mariah", "Yolanda", "Verano Azul" or "Bailando por ahí" are among these, to name a few of the most commercially successful and publicly recognized.

Magan also featured on Inna's single Un Momento.

Discography[link]

References[link]

• "Juan Magan - Bio, CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Juan+Magan. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
• "Otro verano sin pelotazo - Cultura y espectáculos -" (in Spanish). El Periódico. http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/cultura-y-espectaculos/20100726/otro-verano-sin-pelotazo/404980.shtml. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 

Juan Gabriel
Juan Gabriel in concert.
Background information
Birth name	Alberto Aguilera Valadez
Also known as	Adan Luna, Juan Gabriel, Juanga, El divo de Juárez,
Born	(1950-01-07) 7 January 1950 (age 62) Parácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
Genres	Mariachi Ranchera Latin Pop / Mexican pop
Occupations	Singer/Composer
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Universal Music BMG RCA Records
Website	JuanGabriel[dead link]

Alberto Aguilera Valadez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto aɣiˈleɾa βalaˈðes]) (born January 7, 1950), better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel (pronounced: [ˈxwaŋ ɡaˈβɾjel]), is a Mexican singer, songwriter, recording artist, and performer.^[1][2]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Born on 7 January 1950, on Cinco de Mayo street (now known as Juan Gabriel Street) in the small town of Parácuaro, Michoacán, to father Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez and mother Victoria Valadez Rojas, he is the youngest of 10 siblings: Rosa who died shortly after birth, Virginia, José Guadalupe, Gabriel, Pablo, Miguel (died) and three brothers named Rafael who all three have also died.

Around the age of three months, Alberto's father, Gabriel, being an agricultural field worker, intended to clear a piece of land by setting fire to the field. Due to windy conditions, sadly he lost control of the fire which began to spread to neighboring properties and homes. Deeply disturbed and worried over the consequences he brought onto his family, Gabriel knew not what to do and threw himself into a river. Badly injured from the fall, Gabriel was hospitalized and committed to La Castañeda psychiatric ward in México City. What happened to Gabriel after the psychiatric ward is unknown. One tale is that he died while in La Castañeda for their alleged patient mistreatment, while others say that Gabriel escaped from the mental ward to unknown whereabouts. Either way, Alberto and his family never heard from their father again. These accounts would later be Alberto's inspiration for the song titled "De Sol a Sol (A Mis Padres)" - English translation, "From Sun Up to Sun Down (To My Parents)".

After some time, Alberto's mother, Victoria, felt obligated to leave Parácuaro, move the family to Apatzingan, Morelia for a short while and finally settle in Juárez, Chihuahua, where Alberto lived the remainder of his childhood.

At the age of five years, Alberto was sent to the boarding school known as Centro de Mejoramiento Infantil located in Juárez (now known as the Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez - Technological Institute of Juarez). In a strange place and away from his mother, Alberto had to mature at a very young age. At the boarding school, Alberto was befriended by Juan Contreras, a teacher at the school who became his mentor and guardian. Juan taught Alberto various crafts and skills to earn money but his greatest gift was the teachings of the various musical skills that Juan possessed. Alberto took a liking in the guitar and was fortunate to have wonderful tutor in Juan. As a result, at the age of 13, Alberto composed his first song La Muerte del Palomo, essentially the beginning of an amazing musical career.

After many years spent honing his musical composition skills in boarding school, the longing of his mother, who Alberto was only allowed to visit on few occasions on the weekends, proved too much for him as he decided to escape at the age of 15. Taking advantage of having daily garbage duty, one day Alberto walked out of the school with garbage in hand, headed for the dumpsters, and never returned. Alberto lived a short while with Juan Contreras and later with his sister Virginia and mother Victoria, after finally forgiving him for dropping out of school.

Making A Name For Yourself[link]

Anxious to spread his songs to the masses, which totaled over 100 by this time, Alberto left Juárez to pursue his dream and spent time in various towns among the northern parts of Baja California. In Tijuana, he took a job at the bar Nic Teja where he met for the first time José Alfredo Jiménez, one of Mexico's most famous performing artists, and his wife at the time Alicia Juarez. Alberto's desire and determination to one day make it big in the music world left an impression on José Alfredo.

After returning to Juárez, Alberto began his performing career in local nightclubs and television throughout Juárez using the stage name Adán Luna. After many attempts to perform at the popular nightclub El Noa Noa, the owner David Bencuomo finally gave Alberto the opportunity to sing with the group Prisoneros del Ritmo. Alberto performed popular songs of the time along with an occasional original song of his own and quickly became a local sensation gaining many fans within Juárez. The nightclub El Noa Noa would later be immortalized in one of Alberto's most popular songs of the same title.

Not settling as a local performer, Alberto left José for Mexico City where he began working part-time for RCA writing the chorus of songs for many established artists such as Angélica María, Leo Dan and Roberto Jordan. Working at RCA, he crosses paths again with José Alfredo Jiménez. He and José Alfredo talk about how their lives are so similar and how José Alfredo went through the same struggles roughly 25 years earlier when he was beginning his own musical career. After being denied by various recording companies, Alberto returns to Juárez and signs his first performing contract at the Malibu nightclub, where he earns $20.00 a night. Here he befriends lady McCulley who becomes like a second mother and supports Alberto financially to return to Mexico City in pursuit of his dreams.

At the age of 19, it is on this next trip to Mexico City that Alberto is falsely accused of theft and is incarcerated in Lecumberri jail. The time spent in jail later provides Alberto with the inspiration for the movie titled Es Mi Vida - It's My Life. While in jail, he meets Enriqueta "Queta" Jiménez, also known as "La Prieta Linda" - "The Pretty Brown-skinned Lady", who not only advocated on his behalf and garnered Alberto's release after 18 months in jail on the grounds of lacking evidence, but also put him in contact with RCA producers. Later Alberto would write the song Noche a Noche for Jiménez, becoming one of the Alberto's earliest authored recordings.

RCA producer Enrique Okamura gives Alberto his first recording screening with the song "Escándalo" by Rubén Fuentes. Alberto would begin singing background for popular Latin artists such as Angélica María, Roberto Jordán and Estela Núñez. Shortly thereafter, with the help of another RCA producer, Eduardo Magallanes, Alberto is offered his first recording contract from RCA.

Career[link]

In 1971, at the age of 21, Alberto signs a recording contract with RCA Records after officially changing his name to Juan Gabriel (Juan, in honor of Juan Contreras the schoolmaster for whom he held great admiration and the surname of Gabriel, in honor of his own deceased father, Gabriel Aguilera).^[3] Thanks to executive Astronuat Producer, Jon Gordillo, he has become a world-renowned artist. Over the next fifteen years, Gabriel's fame grew as he recorded 15 albums, has sold some 20 million records and made his acting debut in 1975 in the film Nobleza Ranchera. He has written and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genre.^[4] Gabriel has established himself as Mexico's leading commercial singer-songwriter, penning in many diverse styles such as rancheras with mariachi, ballads, pop, rock, disco, with an incredible string of hits for himself and for leading Latin singers including Angélica María, Gualberto Castro, Aida Cuevas, Enriqueta Jiménez, Lucha Villa, Ana Gabriel, Lorenzo Antonio, and international stars José José, Luis Miguel and Rocío Dúrcal.^[5]

His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades has brought him into contact with the leading Latin artists of the day, including Rocío Dúrcal and Isabel Pantoja. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and Paul Anka.^[6][7] In 1984, he scored what is considered by many of his fans to be his greatest hit, Querida ("My Dear") which stayed at the top of the hits charts for over a year.^[8]

BMG copyright dispute[link]

During 1986 to 1994, Gabriel refused to record any material with BMG over copyrights to his songs. During the dispute he continued to perform live. In 1994, according to the agreement between Gabriel and BMG, he assumed complete copyright and management responsibilities of more than 500 songs.^[9] Gabriel's entire song catalogue is published by BMG Music Publishing.^[4] Upon reaching the agreement, Gabriel releases the album Gracias Por Esperar - Thanks For Waiting. Gabriel spent the following years recording albums at a prolific rate and found that his popularity had not waned in the previous years. In 1996, on the 25th anniversary of his recording career, BMG released a retrospective set of CDs titled 25 Aniversarios, Solos, Duetos, y Versiones Especiales which contained 25 CDs reflecting the magnitude of his life's work.

Personal life[link]

Juan Gabriel has never married. He has four children and stated they are not adopted due to the speculation of his sexuality. Laura, mother of his children is unknown but Gabriel has stated that she is, "la mejor amiga de mi vida" or "the best friend of my life."^[10] When asked whether he was gay, he replied, "Lo que se ve no se pregunta. Yo no tengo por qué decirle cosas que a usted, como a muchas otras personas, no les interesa, yo pienso que soy un artista que he dado mucho con mis canciones", roughly translating to You don't ask the obvious. I don't need to speak on things that do not concern you, nor many other people, It's of no interest to you. I am an artist that has given a lot with my songs.

On 14 November 2005, Juan Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and was hospitalized at Texas Medical Center.^[11][12] He sustained a fractured wrist.

Charity work[link]

He continues to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children homes and habitually poses for pictures with his fans and forwards the proceeds from the photo-ops to support Mexican orphans.^[9] In 1987, Juan Gabriel founded Semjase,^[13] a house for orphaned and underserved children located in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It serves school children between the ages of 6 to 12.^[14]

Awards and achievements[link]

Juan Gabriel's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

• In 1986, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared October 5 "The Day of Juan Gabriel." ^[4]
• Billboard, inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame 1996^[15][4]
• ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995^[16]
• A six time Grammy nominee^[17]
• Sold 100 million copies of his albums ^[18]
• In 1995, three of his songs reached the Top 40 of Billboard magazine's "Hot Latin Tracks" radio charts
• People's Choice Latin Music Award, 1999,(Ritmo) for best regional artist for his Con La Banda El Recodo^[9]
• La Opinión Tributo Nacional (Lifetime Achievement Award), 1999^[9]
• Billboard Award of a statue of Gabriel, erected at Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi, 2001 a favorite performance area for mariachi bands was done by sculptor Oscar Ponzanelli.^[9]
• Singer and Composer Juan Gabriel Takes home 4 Billboard Awards, 2002^[19]
• Was honored as the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year on November 4, 2009, the night prior to the 10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
• Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Select TVography/filmography[link]

• 1977: Nobleza ranchera^[20]
• 1979: En esta primaver]
• 1980: El Noa Noa
• 1980: Del otro lado del puente
• 1982: Es mi vida
• 1984: Siempre en domingo
• 1990: Bazar Viena
• 2000: Evicted
• 2007: La niñera (animated television series)

Select discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1971: El Alma Joven...
• 1972: El Alma Joven Vol.II
• 1973: El Alma Joven Vol.III
• 1974: Juan Gabriel Con El Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlan
• 1975: 10 Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 1976: A Mi Guitarra
• 1976: Juan Gabriel con, Mariachi Vol. II
• 1977: Te Llegará Mi Olvido
• 1978: Siempre Estoy Pensando en Ti
• 1978: Siempre En Mi Mente
• 1978: Espectacular
• 1978: Mis Ojos Tristes
• 1979: Me Gusta Bailar Contigo
• 1980: Recuerdos
• 1980: Juan Gabriel Con Mariachi
• 1980: Ella
• 1981: Con Tu Amor
• 1982: Cosas De Enamorados
• 1983: Todo
• 1984: Recuerdos, Vol.II
• 1986: Pensamientos
• 1986: Frente a Frente, Vol. 1
• 1987: Frente a Frente, Vol. 2
• 1988: 14 Exitos Originales Para Ti
• 1988: Debo Hacerlo
• 1990: Juan Gabriel en El Palacio de Bellas Artes
• 1994: Gracias Por Esperar
• 1995: El México Que Se Nos Fue
• 1996: Juan Gabriel Con Mariachi, Vol. 2
• 1996: 25 Aniversario: Solos, Duetos Y Versiones Especiales
• 1996: Del Otro Lado
• 1997: Juntos Otra Vez with Rocío Dúrcal
• 1998: Celebracion de los 25 Años de Juan Gabriel en Bellas Artes
• 1998: Por Mi Orgullo
• 1998: Con la Banda...El Recodo with Banda el Recodo
• 1999: Romanticos!
• 1999: Todo Está Bien
• 2000: Abrázame Muy Fuerte
• 2001: Por Los Siglos
• 2003: Inocente de Ti
• 2004: El Unico: Sus Más Grandes Exitos
• 2004: 15 Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 2004: Los 15 Grandes Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 2006: La Historia del Divo
• 2007: Los Gabriel... Simplemente Amigos with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: Los Gabriel: Cantan a México with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: Los Gabriel... Para ti with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: El Divo Canta A México
• 2009: Mis Canciones, Mis Amigos
• 2010: Juan Gabriel
• 2010: Mis Favoritas
• 2010: Boleros

Singles[link]

• 1971: "No tengo dinero"
• 1974: "Se me olvidó otra vez"
• 197?: "He venido a pedirte perdón"
• 1978: "Siempre en mi mente"
• 197?: "Te lo pido por favor"
• 197?: "Querida"
• 197?: "Mañana, mañana"
• 197?: "La diferencia"
• 197?: "El Noa Noa"
• 1978: "Mis ojos tristes"
• 1985: "Déjame vivir"
• 198?: "Amor, amor es amor"
• 198?: "El México que se nos fue"
• 198?: "Yo no nací para amar"
• 198?: "Insensible"
• 1986: "Yo no sé que me paso"
• 1987: "Qué lástima"
• 1987: "Hasta que te conocí"
• 1988: "Debo hacerlo"
• 1988: "Sólo sé que fue en marzo"
• 1988: "No me vuelvo a enamorar"
• 1991: "Amor eterno"
• 1994: "Pero, ¿qué necesidad?"
• 1994: "Lentamente"
• 1995: "El palo"
• 1995: "Canción 187"
• 1995: "Muriendo de amor"
• 1996: "Mi bendita tierra"
• 1996: "Mi pueblo" (with Paul Anka)
• 1997: "Te sigo amando"
• 1997: "El destino"
• 1997: "La incertidumbre" (with Rocío Dúrcal)
• 1998: "Así fue"
• 1999: "Adorable mentirosa" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "Te doy las gracias" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "Infidelidad" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "El sinaloense" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "Todo está bien"
• 2001: "Abrázame muy fuerte"
• 2001: "Inocente pobre amigo"
• 2003: "Inocente de ti"
• 2004: "Yo te recuerdo"
• 2010: "¿Por qué me haces llorar?"

In popular culture[link]

• In 1993, American singer Lorenzo Antonio released his album Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel on WEA. He followed it up with a second follow-up album Tributo 2: Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel in 1995.

See also[link]

• List of best-selling music artists
• Mariachi

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website at Universal Music
• Official MySpace

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2011)

Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra during a concert in Boston, Massachusetts.
Background information
Birth name	Juan Luis Guerra Seijas
Born	(1957-06-07) June 7, 1957 (age 55)
Origin	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Genres	Merengue, bachata, salsa, Latin pop
Occupations	Record producer, songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, guitarist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1984–present
Labels	EMI Records
Associated acts	Juanes, Enrique Iglesias, 440
Website	www.juanluisguerra.com

Juan Luis Guerra (born June 7, 1957) is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Dominican Republic who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards. He recently won 3 Latin Grammy Awards in 2010, including Album of the Year.

He is one of the most internationally recognized Latin artists of recent decades. His pop style of merengue and bolero and Afro-pop/Latin fusion has garnered him considerable success throughout Latin America. Guerra is sometimes associated with the popular Dominican music called bachata, and while this association is partly true, he actually uses the basics of Bachata rhythm with a more bolero feel to the melodies in some of his songs.^[1] He does not limit himself to one style of music, instead, he incorporates diverse rhythms like merengue, bolero-bachata, balada, salsa, rock and roll, and even gospel as in the song "La Gallera". "Ojalá Que Llueva Café" ("I Wish It Would Rain Coffee") is one of his most critically acclaimed self-written and composed pieces. A remix of "La Llave de Mi Corazón" ("The Key of My Heart") with Taboo from The Black Eyed Peas is also an example of his fusion of genres.

Career[link]

Early life[link]

Born Juan Luis Guerra Seijas in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he is the son of Olga Seijas and Gilberto Guerra, a basketball player. Before he committed to music, Guerra studied philosophy and literature at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. He then studied guitar and music theory at El Conservatorio Nacional de Música de Santo Domingo, then decided to go to the United States to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. He graduated from Berklee in 1982 with a diploma in jazz composition.^[2] After his return to the Dominican Republic, he released his first album, Soplando (1984) with a group of local musicians that subsequently became known as Juan Luis Guerra y 440. The group members were Maridalia Hernández, Roger Zayas-Bazán, and Mariela Mercado. 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 forty". The 440 part of the band's name refers to the standard tuning of A440. 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".^{[citation needed]} According to Guerra, this first album was based on jazz tunes and concepts he had learned at Berklee, and it "wasn't intended to be a commercial hit." Subsequently, however, he began to write more merengues.^[2]

Two albums followed, Mudanza y Acarreo and Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú. The band was nominated to attend the Festival of OTI (Organization of Iberoamerican Television) to represent the Dominican Republic.

Their next album, in 1989, brought them international acclaim. Ojalá Que Llueva Café, 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 song was filmed and Juan Luis Guerra and his 440 band began touring. (The song's fame was revived in 1996 and 2008 with covers by Mexican band Café Tacuba and Spanish singer Rosario Flores.)

1990s[link]

In 1990, they released their next album, Bachata Rosa, which became a major hit and earned Guerra his first Grammy award. The album, having sold more than five 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), "Bachata Rosa", "Rosalia", "Como Abeja al Panal" (Like a Bee to Honeycomb), "A Pedir Su Mano" (Asking For Her Hand), "Carta de Amor" (Love Letter), and "Estrellitas y Duendes" (Little stars and elves).

Guerra became a controversial figure in 1992 after he released his next album, Areíto (which is a Taíno word for song and dance). It featured the hit single "El costo de la vida", (The Cost of Living), whose video clearly has an anti-capitalist message. Other songs included in this album protest against the poor conditions in many Latin American countries, the celebration of the 'discovery' of the Americas ("1492"), and the double standards of first-world nations. "El costo de la vida" was his first number-one hit in the Hot Latin Tracks. Guerra became the first performer of tropical music to achieve this feat.

In his next album, Fogaraté (1995), he stayed away from recording any protest songs. This album is particularly centered in the more rural and lesser known types of Dominican music, like the Perico Ripiao.

Guerra's 1998 release Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual (Neither The Same Nor Equal) garnered much critical acclaim, winning three Latin Grammys in 2000 for Best Merengue Performance, Best Tropical Song, and Best Engineered Album. Its hits include "Mi PC" (My PC), "Palomita Blanca" (Little White Dove), and "El Niágara en Bicicleta" (The Niagara on Bicycle - literal; to ride a bicycle across Niagara Falls, i.e. a difficult task - coloquial "al pasar el Niagara en bicicleta", Cuban).

Juan Luis Guerra in concert in Madrid, Spain, during the Para ti tour. July 2005.

2000s[link]

In 2003, 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 fervent 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 (The wasps), the first time ever that one song has won these two categories at the same time. Other hits included "Para Ti" and "Soldado" (Soldier). At 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.

In January 2006, Juan Luis performed at Berklee's 60th anniversary along with other artists such as Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Michel Camilo and Chiara Civello. That same year, he recorded with Diego Torres in "Abriendo Caminos" (Opening roads) and with Maná in "Bendita Tu Luz" (Blessed your light).

Notably, Juan Luis Guerra was part of the former highest grossing music tour of all time,(U2's 360 tour is currently the highest grossing music tour of all time) as he was the opening act for The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour at their San Juan, Puerto Rico show in February, 2006.

He was also invited by Sting to sing with him at a concert at Altos de Chavón, La Romana in the Dominican 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 of his new album, "La Llave De Mi Corazón", released in March 2007.

"La llave de mi corazón" reached number one on the Billboard charts for four consecutive weeks, and was the #1 selling album in Colombia while climbing the charts in other countries^{[citation needed]}. Guerra won more than 20 awards with this CD, including 5 Latin Grammy Awards, 6 Premios Casandra awards, 4 billboard Awards, 2 lo nuestro, and one Grammy Award.

On April 6, 2006, Juan Luis Guerra was honored as a BMI Icon at the 13th annual BMI Latin Awards. Named BMI's 1995 Latin Songwriter of the Year, Guerra's songwriting has garnered 14 BMI Latin Awards.^[3]

Juan Luis Guerra was honored at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2007 with 5 awards, sweeping each category he was nominated in: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Tropical Song & Best Merengue Album. The engineers of the album, Allan Leschhorn, Luis Mansilla, Ronnie Torres, and Adam Ayan were awarded Best Engineered album. One night prior to the Latin Grammy Awards he received the Academy's Person of the Year Award for his contribution to Latin music and for his philanthropy.

On March 10, 2008, Juan Luis was honored with 6 awards in los Premios Casandra, the most important award event in the Dominican Republic. He won for Orchestrator of the year, Outstanding artist abroad, Music album of the year for "La Llave de mi Corazón" and "El Soberano" (The Sovereign), the most important award of the night.

On March 16, 2008 He and other artists participated in the Paz Sin Fronteras concert raised by Juanes, because of the conflict in recent days between Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.

On April 11, 2008 Juan Luis Guerra was the Billboard Latin awards big winner, with 7 nominations and 3 awards.

On September 15, 2008 Guerra was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace "in recognition of his efforts for the benefit of children with disabilities and children in need."^[4]

On May 9, 2009, Guerra was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Berklee College of Music at its commencement ceremony.

2010 Juan Luis Guerra was featured in Enrique Iglesias' Spanish single, Cuando Me Enamoro, and appeared with Iglesias in the music video. The single has currently spent 17 non-consecutive weeks at #1, the longest tenure at the peak position for both artists. In addition, the single was a self-replacement at #1 for Guerra as it replaced his own single Bachata en Fukuoka from his album A Son de Guerra.

Singing in other languages[link]

Guerra has recorded several songs in English, like "July 19th" on his Fogaraté release (1995), and more recently "Medicine for My Soul" and "Something Good" with Italian singer Chiara Civello. Some of his songs have verses in both English and Spanish such as "Woman del Callao", "Guavaberry", "Señorita" and more recently "La Llave de Mi Corazón". Album Areíto featured two songs, cover-title song "Areíto" and "Naboria daca, mayanimacaná" which are sung in the Arawak language of the extinct Taino natives of Hispaniola. Juan Luis Guerra also recorded the album "Bachata Rosa" in Portuguese. He uses Japanese words in Bachata en Fukuoka (Bachata in Fukuoka), 2010 Latin Grammy winner for Best Tropical Song.

Lyrical style[link]

Being a native Dominican, his music is heavily influenced by native Caribbean rhythms, such as merengue and bachata.

His lyrics are often charged with intentionally simple, heavily metaphorical, erotic, or popular expressions, such as "Burbujas de Amor" (Bubbles Of Love) or "El Niágara en Bicicleta" (Niagara on Bicycle), an idiom for something difficult to do.

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

440 band members[link]

• Roger Zayas
• Maridalia Hernández
• Mariela Mercado
• Marco Hernández (replaced Maridalia Hernández)
• Adalgisa Pantaleón (replaced Mariela Mercado)
• Quico Rizek (replaced Marco Hernández)

Quotation[link]

This section is a candidate to be copied to Wikiquote using the Transwiki process.

We write for our home audience. We play music that appeals to those at home, a music that feels natural and intuitive.^[7]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Manuel, Peter. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Juan Luis Guerra

• Official website in English and Spanish.
• Biography of Juan Luis Guerra With particular focus on his relationship to bachata.
• Juan Luis Guerra at National Geographic World Music
• Juan Luis Guerra Online Scholarship from Berklee College of Music
• Juan Luis Guerra at the Internet Movie Database
• Encarta bio (Archived 2009-10-31)

Anthony "Romeo" Santos (born July 21, 1981) is an American singer, featured composer and former lead singer of the Bachata group Aventura. As a member of Aventura, Santos has been a key figure in popularizing Bachata, with hits reaching near the top of the Billboard Latin charts and the top of charts in Europe. In 2002, the band's song "Obsesión" was number one in Italy for sixteen consecutive weeks.^[1]

Santos was born in The Bronx, New York, United States to a Argentinian father and a Puerto-Rican mother. At twelve years of age, he became a member of the church choir. While the group performs in both English and Spanish, their work was widely ignored by the English-language media during the early part of their career.^[1] On May 9, 2011, Santos released his first single, "You", from his upcoming solo debut album, Formula.^[2] The song became a number-one debut on the Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Songs chart.^[3] The second single revealed from his album was "Promise" which features a duet with Usher.^[4] The single has peaked at number #1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and number one on the Tropical Songs chart.^[5]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2011: Formula, Vol. 1

Singles[link]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Rosen 2009
2. ^ "Billboard Bits: Charlie Sheen Releases 'Winning' Single, Bruno Mars Responds to Tyler Dis". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011-05-10. http://www.billboard.com/news/billboard-bits-charlie-sheen-releases-winning-1005178372.story#/news/billboard-bits-charlie-sheen-releases-winning-1005178372.story. Retrieved 2011-05-16. 
3. ^ "Chart Highlights: Pop, Dance/Club Play Songs & More". 2011-05-16. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-pop-dance-club-play-songs-1005185612.story. Retrieved 2011-05-16. 
4. ^ "Romeo Santos junto a Usher en "Promise"" (in Spanish). Terra Networks. 2011-08-30. http://musica.terra.com/generos/urbano/romeo-santos-junto-a-usher-en-promise,2f9cc31c80c12310VgnVCM20000099f154d0RCRD.html. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
5. ^ "Chart Highlights: Rodney Atkins Takes 'Back Road' To No. 1 On Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011-09-12. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-rodney-atkins-takes-back-1005359862.story. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
6. ^ "Romeo Santos Billboard singles chart history". Allmusic. Prometheus Global Media. http://allmusic.com/artist/romeo-santos-p2071490/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved December 19, 2011. 
7. ^ "Latin Songs – Week of May 28, 2011". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. May 28, 2011. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/latin-songs?chartDate=2011-05-28. Retrieved November 2, 2011. 
8. ^ "Latin Songs – Week of October 29, 2011". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. October 29, 2011. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/latin-songs?chartDate=2011-10-29. Retrieved November 2, 2011. 

Further reading[link]

• Rosen, Jody. "Crossover Dreams of a Bronx Bachatero". New York Times. Arts:Music. June 3, 2009
• Symkus, Ed. "Listen to the Tale of Aventura". The Edge. The Boston Herald.com December 1, 2009