Johnny Ventura

Johnny Ventura almost single-handedly modernized merengue during the early 1960s. An imposing singer possessing a smooth, supple baritone, he was also an electrifying dancer, bandleader, arranger, and composer who released more than 100 albums. The six-time Latin Grammy winner influenced virtually every merengue singer who followed him. Fascinated by the energy and dance moves in early rock & roll music -- especially Elvis Presley's -- Ventura grafted them onto merengue on early albums such as 1965's El Boogaloo Esta en Algo and 1966's Figurando. By 1970 he was a best-selling ...