Juan Climaco Formell Cortina, born on August 2, 1942 in Cuba, began his musical career in 1957 as a musician in cabaret orchestras, radio and television. In 1959 he worked as bassist of the Musical Band of Revolutionary Police. Juan Formell is best known for directing Los Van Van, a band he founded in 1969 which became one of Cuba's most popular music groups. Under his direction, Los Van Van released several albums including Juan Formell & Los Van Van (1974), 'Azúcar' (1992) and 'Lo Ultimo en Vivo' (1994). Juan Formell brought electronic instrumentation into Cuban musical forms, and was credited with creating popular danceable music. He received a Grammy Award in 1999 for his work on the album "Llegó... Van Van – Van Van Is Here" (1998) under the Latin/Best Salsa Performance category. Juan Formell died of liver disease at the age of 71 on May 1, 2014.
