Juan Luis Guerra

Juan Luis Guerra is a jazz-trained musician who has explored merengue, salsa, and rock ’n’ roll throughout his career, but is best known for popularizing bachata throughout the world. ∙ After graduating with a diploma in jazz composition from the Berklee College of Music, he recorded his 1984 debut, Soplando, with local musicians who became his band, 440. ∙ 440 represented the Dominican Republic for the 1984 edition of Festival OTI de la Canción, a Spanish-language offshoot of the Eurovision Song Contest. ∙ His 1990 release, Bachata Rose was a worldwide smash, hitting No. 1 in four countries and earning Guerra his first Grammy award. ∙ Based on traditional Dominican merengue style Perico Ripiao, 1994’s Fogaraté! was Top 5 hit on Billboard’s Latin and Tropical Album charts, and featured a bachata Mozart piece. ∙ Para Ti, released in 2005, focused on Guerra’s religious beliefs, and earned a Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album and a Best Tropical Song Grammy, for the single “Las Avispas.” ∙ The United Nations designated him the 2008 UNESCO Artist for Peace in honor of his work advocating for children with disabilities and prevention of youth violence. ∙ More than 400,000 people attended his 2019 performance at Tenerife Carnival, breaking the record of 250,000 attendees set by Celia Cruz in 1987.