Johnny Ventura

Born Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on March 8, 1940, the legendary merengue singer and bandleader is better known by his stage name Johnny Ventura. He maintained a long and successful career in music – as a solo artist and group member – while also becoming active in politics. His musical career began at the age of 16 when he sang with friends on several radio shows before winning a televised competition, which allowed him to take singing lessons. Adapting the stage name Johnny Ventura, he sang in several groups, including those of Rondon Votau and Donald Wild, before recording with – and composing for - Luis Pérez’s Combo Caribe. After spending two years with Papa Molina’s La Super Orquesta San José, he founded his own orchestra, the Combo Show, and recorded the album La Coquetona (1965). Over the next four decades, he would release some 60 albums under his name or that of Johnny Ventura y Su Combo to great success. Relocating to the United States for a time, he popularized merengue and, in the 1970s, participated in the development of salsa. His albums at this time included Acompaña a Sus Creaciones (1973), Salsa (1973), La Protesta de los Feos (1974), and El Hijo del Pueblo (1975). Back in his native country by the early 1980s, he entered politics and was elected deputy (1982-1986), before becoming deputy mayor of Santo Domingo (1994-1998), then mayor (1998-2002). Inducted into the Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1999, Johnny Ventura continued his musical activities at the same time. He recorded the album El Rey y la Reina del Merengue (1996) with Milly Quezada and in 1998 celebrated his 40^th Anniversary in the music business. Other albums followed, notably 103 Boulevard (2006). That same year, he was honored with a Latin Grammy Award in recognition of his entire career. Briefly hospitalized for a Covid-19 infection in 2020, he died of a heart attack on July 28, 2021, at the age of 81.