Juan Luis Guerra Biography

Juan Luis Guerra has had a long successful music career, writing and performing Latin pop based on traditional Caribbean rhythms and traditional Dominican styles. From the Dominican Republic, Guerra studied jazz composition in Boston at the Berklee College of Music and graduated in 1982. He returned to his native country and recorded his first album, the self-produced Soplando (1984), a jazz-inspired record that featured backing musicians now known as “the 440.” Guerra then moved into more traditional Latin styles and had an international merengue hit with 1989’s “Ojala Que Llueva Café.” Since then he’s had a string of successful albums and earned a reputation as an accomplished guitarist and songwriter whose songs reflect his concern for social justice and his relationship with religion. His album Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual won three Latin Grammys in 2000, he won five Latin Grammys in 2007 for La Llave de Mi Corazon and got three more in 2010 for the album A Son de Guerra. As a composer and producer, he was nominated in 2012 for six Latin Grammys for his collaboration with Juanes on Juanes MTV Unplugged; he won one award for producer of the year. Guerra’s songs include “El Costo de la Vida,” “Bachata Rosa,” “Las Avispas” and “Bachata en Fukuoak.”