Juan Luis Guerra
Encyclopedia
Juan Luis Guerra 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. 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 to my heart") with Taboo
from The Black Eyed Peas
is also an example of his fusion of genres.
, 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. 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". 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.
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 artists Café Tacuba and Rosario Flores
.)
, 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, ie a difficult task - coloquial "al pasar el Niagara en bicicleta", Cuban).
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 . 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.
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."
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
.
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.
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.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
from the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards
Latin Grammy Awards
A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Award which primarily honors music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammy honors works produced anywhere around the...
, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards. He recently won 3 Latin Grammy Awards in 2010
Latin Grammy Awards of 2010
The 11th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on November 11, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the third time the annual event had taken place at this location. The eligibility period for recordings to be nominated was July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Nominations...
, including Album of the Year.
He is one of the most internationally recognized Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
artists of recent decades. His pop style of merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
and bolero
Bolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
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. He does not limit himself to one style of music, instead, he incorporates diverse rhythms like merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
, bolero-bachata, balada, salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, and even gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
as in the song "La Gallera". "Ojalá Que Llueva Café
Ojalá Que Llueva Café
-Track listing:# Visa Para un Sueño# Ojalá Que Llueva Café# Razones# De Tu Boca# La Gallera# Woman del Callao# Reina Mia# Angel Para una Tambora...
" ("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
La Llave de Mi Corazón
La Llave de Mi Corazón is a studio album by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and was released on March 20, 2007 by EMI Records. It peaked at number 77 on the Billboard 200. A special edition of the album was released on October 2, 2007. In 2007, the album won six Latin Grammy Awards...
" ("The key to my heart") with Taboo
Taboo (rapper)
Jaime Luis Gómez , better known by his stage name Taboo, is an American singer, actor, and rapper best known as a member of the group The Black Eyed Peas.-Personal life:...
from The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
is also an example of his fusion of genres.
Early life
Born Juan Luis Guerra Seijas in Santo DomingoSanto Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, 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
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo
The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo is the public university system in the Dominican Republic with its main campus in Santo Domingo and regional centers across the Republic...
. 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
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston. He graduated from Berklee in 1982 with a diploma in jazz composition. 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
A440 (Concert A)
A440 is the musical note A above middle C. It has a frequency of 440 Hz and serves as a general tuning standard for musical pitch.Prior to the standardization on 440 Hz, many countries and organizations followed the Austrian government's 1885 recommendation of 435 Hz...
. 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". 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.
Two albums followed, Mudanza y Acarreo
Mudanza y Acarreo
-Track listing:# Por eso Ahora# Ella Dice# Yo Vivo Enamorao# Requiem Sobre el Jaragua # Si Tu Te Vas# Elena # Santiago en Coche # Dame...
and Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú
Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú
Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú is the third album by Juan Luis Guerra and it was the one that converted him into a national star and created a fan base for him outside the Dominican Republic.-Track listing:# Guavaberry# Tú# Amor de Conuco# No me Acostumbro...
. 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
Ojalá Que Llueva Café
-Track listing:# Visa Para un Sueño# Ojalá Que Llueva Café# Razones# De Tu Boca# La Gallera# Woman del Callao# Reina Mia# Angel Para una Tambora...
, 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 artists Café Tacuba and Rosario Flores
Rosario Flores
Rosario Flores is a two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Spanish gypsy singer and actress.She was born in Madrid, Spain as the daughter of Antonio González and Lola Flores. She is the sister of actress Lolita Flores and singer-songwriter Antonio Flores. She has a daughter with her ex boyfriend...
.)
1990s
In 1990, they released their next album, Bachata RosaBachata Rosa
Bachata rosa is the fifth studio album by Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra and his group 4-40, released December 11, 1990 by KAREN Records. Written and produced by Guerra, the album was a successful record selling over five million copies worldwide and was responsible for bringing the bachata...
, 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
Areíto
Areíto is the sixth album by Juan Luis Guerra with his band 4 40. They released it in 1992. The last track on the album, "Naboria daca, mayanimacaná", is sung in Arawak, the language of the taínos.-Track listing:# "Areito"# "El Costo de la Vida"...
(which is a Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
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
Fogaraté
Fogaraté is the sixth album of the famous Dominican songwriter and musician Juan Luis Guerra. It was released in 1994.-Track listing:# Los Mangos Bajitos# El Farolito# Los Pajaritos# Viviré# El Beso de la Ciguatera# Oficio de Enamorado# Lacrimosa...
(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
Perico ripiao
Merengue típico is a musical genre of the Dominican Republic. Merengue tipico is the term preferred by most musicians as it is more respectful and emphasizes the music's traditional nature.-Introduction:Merengue típico is the oldest style of merengue still performed today Merengue típico (also...
.
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
Mi PC
Mi PC is a song written and performed by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and his group, 4-40. The song was released as the first single from the album, Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual which was produced by Guerra himself. The song became Guerra's second single to reach number-one on the...
" (My PC), "Palomita Blanca
Palomita Blanca (song)
Palomita Blanca is a song by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and his group, 4-40 from his eighth studio album, Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual which he produced by himself. The song was the second single to be released from the album as well as the second single from to reach number-one...
" (Little White Dove), and "El Niágara en Bicicleta
El Niágara en Bicicleta
"El Niágara en Bicicleta" is a song written and performed by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and his backup vocal group, 4-40. The track was released as the third single released from his eighth studio album, Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual which Guerra produced by himself. The single...
" (The Niagara on Bicycle - literal; to ride a bicycle across Niagara Falls, ie a difficult task - coloquial "al pasar el Niagara en bicicleta", Cuban).
2000s
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 CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in the last 20 years.
In January 2006, Juan Luis performed at Berklee's 60th anniversary along with other artists such as Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Michel Camilo
Michel Camilo
Michel Camilo is a pianist and composer from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He specializes in jazz, Latin and classical piano work...
and Chiara Civello. That same year, he recorded with Diego Torres
Diego Torres
Diego Antonio Caccia Torres , is an Argentine Grammy Award-nominated pop singer and composer.-Biography:Diego Torres was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Argentine singer Lolita Torres...
in "Abriendo Caminos" (Opening roads) and with Maná
Maná
Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo...
in "Bendita Tu Luz
Bendita tu luz
"Bendita Tu Luz" is a bachata song, the second single released from Maná's seventh studio album, Amar es Combatir . The song, which features Juan Luis Guerra on the vocals.-Chart success:...
" (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
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' A Bigger Bang Tour
A Bigger Bang Tour
A Bigger Bang Tour was a worldwide concert tour by The Rolling Stones which took place between August 2005 and August 2007, in support of their album A Bigger Bang...
at their San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
show in February, 2006.
He was also invited by Sting to sing with him at a concert at Altos de Chavón
Altos de Chavón
The biggest attraction in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is Altos de Chavón, a re-creation of a medieval European village conceived from the imagination of Roberto Copa, a former Paramount Studios set designer, and Charles Bluhdorn....
, La Romana in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
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 . 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
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
On April 6, 2006, Juan Luis Guerra was honored as a BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
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.
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
Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year
The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year is an award presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the Latin music industry and dedication to...
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
Paz Sin Fronteras
Paz sin fronteras was the first in a series of benefit concerts that happened on March 16, 2008, on the Simón Bolívar Bridge, which borders Colombia and Venezuela, to celebrate the end of the Andean diplomatic crisis a week earlier on the Rio Group summit...
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
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Artist for Peace
UNESCO Artist for Peace
UNESCO Artists for Peace are international celebrity advocates for the United Nations agency UNESCO. This category of advocate is intended to heighten public awareness in addition to the categories UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, UNESCO Special Envoy and UNESCO Champion for Sport...
"in recognition of his efforts for the benefit of children with disabilities and children in need."
On May 9, 2009, Guerra was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
at its commencement ceremony.
2010 Juan Luis Guerra was featured in Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
' 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
Bachata en Fukuoka
"Bachata en Fukuoka" is the first single released by Juan Luis Guerra for his album A Son de Guerra. It reached number 1 in 2010, the second bachata song in the year to do so.-Background:...
from his album A Son de Guerra
A Son de Guerra
A Son de Guerra is the 11th studio album by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and was released on June 8, 2010 by EMI Records. It won the 2010 Latin Grammy for Album of the Year. This was the second time he won the award for Album of the Year...
.
Singing in other languages
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 Chivello. 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 languageArawak language
Arawak is the eponymous language of the Arawakan language family. The term is often used to cover the closely related Taino language of the Caribbean islands. The ethnonym Lokono may be used more specifically....
of the extinct Taino natives of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. 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
Latin Grammy Awards of 2010
The 11th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on November 11, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the third time the annual event had taken place at this location. The eligibility period for recordings to be nominated was July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Nominations...
winner for Best Tropical Song.
Lyrical style
Being a native Dominican, his music is heavily influenced by native Caribbean rhythms, such as merengueMerengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
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
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
for something difficult to do.
Discography
| Title | Year | Charts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin Albums Billboard Top Latin Albums Latin Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine and is labeled as the most important music chart for Spanish language, full-length albums in the American music market. Like all Billboard album charts, the chart is based on sales... |
Tropical Songs | Other Charts | ||
| Soplando Soplando Soplando is the first album by Dominican Songwriter and musician Juan Luis Guerra and his group 440.-Track listing:# "Feliciana"# "Soplando"# "Carnaval"# "Juana Mecho"# "Jardinera"# "Sambomba"# "Loreta"# "La Calle Gris"... |
1984 | — | — | |
| Mudanza y Acarreo Mudanza y Acarreo -Track listing:# Por eso Ahora# Ella Dice# Yo Vivo Enamorao# Requiem Sobre el Jaragua # Si Tu Te Vas# Elena # Santiago en Coche # Dame... |
1985 | — | — | |
| Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú is the third album by Juan Luis Guerra and it was the one that converted him into a national star and created a fan base for him outside the Dominican Republic.-Track listing:# Guavaberry# Tú# Amor de Conuco# No me Acostumbro... |
1987 | — | — | |
| Ojalá Que Llueva Café Ojalá Que Llueva Café -Track listing:# Visa Para un Sueño# Ojalá Que Llueva Café# Razones# De Tu Boca# La Gallera# Woman del Callao# Reina Mia# Angel Para una Tambora... |
1990 | 40 | 2 | |
| Bachata Rosa Bachata Rosa Bachata rosa is the fifth studio album by Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra and his group 4-40, released December 11, 1990 by KAREN Records. Written and produced by Guerra, the album was a successful record selling over five million copies worldwide and was responsible for bringing the bachata... |
1990 | 19 | 1 | |
| Areíto Areíto Areíto is the sixth album by Juan Luis Guerra with his band 4 40. They released it in 1992. The last track on the album, "Naboria daca, mayanimacaná", is sung in Arawak, the language of the taínos.-Track listing:# "Areito"# "El Costo de la Vida"... |
1992 | 9 | 2 | |
| Fogaraté Fogaraté Fogaraté is the sixth album of the famous Dominican songwriter and musician Juan Luis Guerra. It was released in 1994.-Track listing:# Los Mangos Bajitos# El Farolito# Los Pajaritos# Viviré# El Beso de la Ciguatera# Oficio de Enamorado# Lacrimosa... |
1994 | 3 | 2 | |
| Grandes Éxitos Juan Luis Guerra y 440 Grandes Éxitos Juan Luis Guerra y 440 Grandes Exitos de Juan Luis Guerra y 440 is a compilation album of Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra, and his band 440. Issued in 1996, it consists of tracks from the first seven studio albums.... |
1995 | 10 | 2 | |
| Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual | 1998 | 4 | 2 | |
| Colección Romantica | 2000 | 6 | 1 | |
| Para Ti Para Ti Para Ti is Juan Luis Guerra's Ninth album. Theres a change in his lyrics because they no longer involve his culture or nationality, it involves more his religious faith with songs like "Las Avispas" and "Mi padre me Ama"... |
2004 | 2 | — | Tropical Albums: 1 Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... : 108 Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... : 3 |
| La Llave de Mi Corazón La Llave de Mi Corazón La Llave de Mi Corazón is a studio album by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and was released on March 20, 2007 by EMI Records. It peaked at number 77 on the Billboard 200. A special edition of the album was released on October 2, 2007. In 2007, the album won six Latin Grammy Awards... |
2007 | 1 | — | Tropical Albums: 1 Billboard 200: 77 |
| Archivo Digital 4.4 | 29 | — | Tropical Albums: 6 | |
| A Son de Guerra A Son de Guerra A Son de Guerra is the 11th studio album by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and was released on June 8, 2010 by EMI Records. It won the 2010 Latin Grammy for Album of the Year. This was the second time he won the award for Album of the Year... |
2010 | 2 | ||
| Albums that did not chart are denoted with an "—". | ||||
Singles
| Date | Song | Charts | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Latin Hot Latin Songs Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song... |
US Latin Pop Latin Pop Airplay Latin Pop Airplay is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It features Latin music information from pop music usually in Spanish. It was established by the magazine on October 8, 1994 with Mañana by Cristian Castro being the first song to reach number-one... |
Other Charts | |||
| 1989 | Ojala Que Llueva Café | 21 | — | Ojala Que Llueva Café | |
| 1990 | Burbujas De Amor | 2 | — | Bachata Rosa | |
| Como Abeja Al Panal | 31 | — | |||
| 1991 | Estrellitas y Duendes | 3 | — | ||
| Bachata Rosa | 15 | 25 | |||
| Cartas De Amor | 35 | — | |||
| Frío Frío | 4 | — | Areíto | ||
| 1992 | Señales De Humo | 6 | — | ||
| 1993 | Mal De Amor | 4 | — | ||
| Coronita De Flores | 4 | — | |||
| Rompiendo Fuente | 27 | — | |||
| 1994 | Cuando Te Beso | 28 | — | ||
| Viviré | 5 | 1 | Fogaraté | ||
| La Cosquillita | 6 | — | |||
| 1995 | El Beso De La Ciguatera | 17 | 5 | ||
| 1998 | Mi PC | 1 | 2 | Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual | |
| 1999 | Palomita Blanca | 1 | 3 | ||
| El Niagara En Bicicleta | 2 | 4 | |||
| La Hormiguita | — | 33 | |||
| 2001 | Tu | 28 | 21 | Mientras Más Lo Pienso... Tú | |
| Quisiera | 33 | 19 | Colección Romantica | ||
| 2004 | Las Avispas | 4 | 11 | Para Ti | |
| 2005 | Para Ti | 17 | 16 | ||
| 2007 | La Llave De Mi Corazón La Llave de Mi Corazón (song) La Llave De Mi Corazón is a 2007 hit song from Juan Luis Guerra that has won numerous Latin awards.-Song information:Though the song is primarily written in Spanish, several parts of the lyrics are written in English... |
1 | 2 | Regional Mexican Songs: 33 Radio Songs: 66 |
La Llave de Mi Corazón La Llave de Mi Corazón La Llave de Mi Corazón is a studio album by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra and was released on March 20, 2007 by EMI Records. It peaked at number 77 on the Billboard 200. A special edition of the album was released on October 2, 2007. In 2007, the album won six Latin Grammy Awards... |
| Que me des tu Cariño | 2 | 5 | |||
| La Travesía La Travesía Travesía is an important pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Ulua river valley of Honduras. The city reached its largest size in the Late Classic but was founded earlier... |
3 | 3 | |||
| 2008 | Como Yo | 18 | 13 | ||
| Solo Tengo Ojos Para Ti | 28 | 9 | |||
| 2010 | Bachata en Fukuoka Bachata en Fukuoka "Bachata en Fukuoka" is the first single released by Juan Luis Guerra for his album A Son de Guerra. It reached number 1 in 2010, the second bachata song in the year to do so.-Background:... |
1 | 1 | Tropical Songs: 1 | A son de Guerra |
| Cuando Me Enamoro (Enrique Iglesias Enrique Iglesias Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa... featuring Juan Luis Guerra) |
1 | 1 | Hot 100: 89 Tropical Songs: 1 |
Euphoria Euphoria (Enrique Iglesias album) Euphoria is the ninth studio album by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias. The album is a joint-release by Universal Republic and Universal Music Latino and was released on July 5, 2010 internationally and in the US on July 6, 2010... |
|
| Mi Bendición | — | — | A son de Guerra | ||
| La Guagua | 23 | 10 | Tropical Songs: 15 | ||
| La Calle (featuring Juanes Juanes Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums... ) |
26 | 9 | |||
| Songs that did not chart are denoted with an "—". | |||||
440 band members
- Roger Zayas
- Maridalia HernándezMaridalia HernándezMaridalia Hernández is a singer from the Dominican Republic.-Early life and education:Maridalia Hernández was born in [San Francisco De Macoris]], Dominican Republic, in 1959...
- Mariela Mercado
- Marco Hernández (replaced Maridalia Hernández)
- Adalgisa Pantaleón (replaced Mariela Mercado)
- Quico Rizek (replaced Marco Hernández)
Quotation
External links
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 MusicBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
- Juan Luis Guerra at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Encarta bio (Archived 2009-10-31)