Wilfrido Vargas

Wilfrido Radamés Vargas Martínez<ref name="billboard1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; born April 24, 1949, in Altamira, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican trumpeter, vocalist, arranger, composer and producer. He was instrumental in making the merengue style a worldwide phenomenon.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He was surrounded by musical influences; namely, his father Ramón, an accordionist and guitarist, and his mother Bienvenida, a flute player and guitarist.<ref name="batanga">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Vargas began his musical studies early, attending the Municipal Academy of Music beginning at age 10.<ref name="billboard" />

He has been a trumpeter and a vocalist,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but has also arranged, composed, and led his band, and is also a producer.<ref name="billboard" />

Career

1970s

He began his career with the band Wilfrido Vargas y sus Beduinos by recording his first album in 1972.<ref name="Proefrock">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Alongside many Latin music super stars, he performed during the 1979 music festival Havana Jam.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1980s

During the 1980s he had international commercial success with songs such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}},{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

Wilfrido appeared in the 1989 film {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1990s

He was nominated in 1991 for the 33rd Grammy Awards in the Best Tropical Latin Performance for his album Animation.<ref name="batanga" /> He won a {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Silver Seagull) in the 1992 Viña del Mar International Song Festival.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1993, he was decorated by the Dominican president Joaquín Balaguer with the Order of Christopher Columbus in the Knight grade, alongside fellow Dominican musicians Jorge Taveras, Manuel Tejada and Julio Gautreaux for their contribution to the development and dissemination of the national music.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The song {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} from his 1983 album {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was the basis for the 1991 hit single, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} by Cuban-American rapper DJ Laz.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

For the telenovela Bellísima, Wilfrido performed the theme song, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and also performed the song {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for the 1997 film Out to Sea.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2000s

In 2003 he acted in the drama film{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Vargas participated in 2007 at the Colombian version of The X Factor, as the groups mentor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Today Vargas is one of the best-known artists in Latin America with hit songs such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (written by Calixto Ochoa),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

As of 2010, he lives in Colombia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Discography

Title	Year	Chart<ref name="billboard">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
		Tropical Songs
Wilfrido Vargas y sus Beduinos	1973	-
El semáforo	1974	-
Merengues instrumentales	1974	-
El jarro pichao	1975	-
En el Madison Square Garden	1976	-
¡Por el Campeonato Mundial!	1977	-
Haciendo historia	1979	-
¡Punto y aparte!	1978	-
Internacional	1979	-
Evolución	1979	-
El jeque	1980	-
Abusadora	1981	-
Wilfrido Vargas & Sandy Reyes	1982	-
El Funcionario	1983	-
El Jardinero	1984	3
El Africano	1984	-
La Medicina	1985	2
Vida, Canción y Suerte	1986	17
La Música	1987	4
El Baile	1987	2
Más Que Un Loco	1988	9
Animation	1989	9
Éxitos de	1990	9
Siempre Wilfrido	1990	5
Amor Casual	1991	-
Itinerario	1992	5
Usted Se Queda Aquí	1994	-
El Extraterrestre	1995	-
Wilfrido Vargas y Sus Consentidas	1996	-
Hoy	1997	-
Raíces	1998	-
www.wilfrido-vargas.com	2000	-
Dos Generaciones	2002	-
El Único	2002	-
Serie platino	2000	-
Serie 2000	2000	-
10 éxitos de oro	2000	-
16 éxitos	2000	-
16 éxitos 2	2001	-
Oro de Oro	2001	-
Dos generaciones	2002	-
El único	2002	-
Juntos	2002	-
Colección diamante	2003	-
Raíces 2	2004	-
Grandes éxitos	2005	-
2 grandes voces del merengue	2007	-
15 éxitos	2008	-
Los 30 mejores éxitos	2012	-
Los Mejor 40 Grandes	2012	-
Lo Mejor De Mi...	2013	-
Éxitos y Mucho Más	2014	-
Merengue Mix 2	2015	-
60 y algo Más	2015	-
Mi Historia 1	2016	-
Mi Historia 2	2016	-
La Música Vol, 2	2017	-
Albums that did not chart are denoted with an "—".

Grammy Nomination

• Best Tropical Latin Performance – Animation (1990)

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role
1989	Que Viva el Merengue y la Lambada	Himself
2003	Éxito Por Intercambio	Himself