Johnny Ventura

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ventura and the second or maternal family name is Soriano.
Johnny Ventura
Johnny Ventura, November 2011
Born
Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano

(1940-03-08)8 March 1940
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic[1]
Died28 July 2021(2021-07-28) (aged 81)
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Occupations
  • Singer
  • bandleader
  • lawyer
  • politician
Years active1956–2021
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Mayor of Santo Domingo
In office
1998–2002
Succeeded byRoberto Salcedo Sr.

Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano (8 March 1940 – 28 July 2021), better known as Johnny Ventura nicknamed El Caballo Mayor,[2] was a Dominican singer and band leader of merengue and salsa.

In 2004, he received the Latin Grammy Award for Best Merengue/Bachata Album for his album Sin Desperdicio; also, he was nominated for Best Merengue Album (2006), Best Contemporary Tropical Album (2010) and Best Salsa Album (2016) categories.[3] In 2006, he received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,[4] and in 2022, he entered the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The merengue legend was a legislator of the Lower House between 1982 and 1986. He also served as vicemayor of Santo Domingo from 1994 to 1998, and as mayor of Santo Domingo from 1998 to 2002.[5]

  1. ^ Edwards, Gavin (29 July 2021). "Johnny Ventura, Who Created the Sound of Modern Merengue, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Johnny Ventura publica video tras contagiarse de COVID-19".
  3. ^ Latin Recording Academy. "ARTIST - Johnny Ventura". Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  4. ^ The Latin Recording Academy (ed.). "Premio a la excelencia musical". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  5. ^ Bush, John. "Biography: Johnny Ventura". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2010.