Full Description
The guitar-based music known as bachata was born in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960s. Brought to the U.S. by Dominican migrants, it has continually developed to reflect the changing tastes of fans and musicians. Bachata became increasingly popular among younger Dominican Americans in the 1990s and 2000s. This generation of artists reshaped the music, blending multiple genres with Spanish and English lyrics to reflect their multicultural reality. In this book, 27 artists share their personal and collective insights into how modern bachata provides an intimate representation of what it means to be Dominican, Latino, multicultural, and bilingual in a transnational setting.
Contents
Table of Contents
Foreword by Jerry W. Carlson • 1
Preface • 3
Introduction • 5
Dre Hidalgo, 2 Strong Music • 21
Eric "Bori" Rivera • 32
Eunel (Nueva Era) • 38
Alexander "Chichí" Caba • 43
Felix Nuñez • 57
sP Polanco • 70
Danny D • 78
Steven Cruz • 84
JC • 89
Jay Heightz • 95
J'Martin • 103
Javier Franco • 108
Carlos Vargas • 115
Alejandra Feliz • 121
Eto • 125
Mambo Leo • 128
Joel Valerio • 134
Voz a Voz: Gio D'Oleo and Ronny Mercedes • 141
Grupo Extra: Tony Santana and Manny Rod • 153
Marlyn • 161
Lynx • 167
Ronny Dae • 174
John Odino • 179
Kewin Cosmos • 184
Liza + Willie • 191
Karlos Rosé • 198
Solo 2: Aldric and Brandon Cruz • 202
Conclusion • 209
List of Interviews • 223
Chapter Notes • 225
Works Cited • 229
Index • 231
