| Wilfrido Vargas | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Wilfrido Radamés Vargas Martínez |
| Birth Date: | 24 April 1949 |
| Birth Place: | Altamira, Dominican |
| Instrument: | Vocals, Trumpet |
| Genre: | Merengue |
| Occupation: | Singer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, trumpeter, actor |
| Label: | Karen, Sonotone, Rodven, RCA Intl, Sony BMG |
| Associated Acts: | Johnny Ventura, Fania All-Stars, Denny Dias, Las Chicas del Can, Leo Díaz |
| Years Active: | 1972–present |
Wilfrido Radamés Vargas Martínez[1] (pronounced as /es/; born April 24, 1949, in Altamira, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) is a band leader, trumpeter, vocalist, arranger, composer and producer who was instrumental in making the merengue style a worldwide phenomenon.[2]
He was surrounded by musical influences; namely, his father Ramón, an accordionist and guitarist, and his mother Bienvenida, a flute player and guitarist.[3] Vargas began his musical studies early, attending the Municipal Academy of Music beginning at age 10.
He has been a trumpeter and a vocalist,[4] but has also arranged, composed, and led his band, and is also a producer.
He began his career with the band Wilfrido Vargas y sus Beduinos by recording his first album in 1972.[5]
Alongside many Latin music super stars, he performed during the 1979 music festival Havana Jam.[6]
During the 1980s he had international commercial success with songs such as Spanish; Castilian: "El Barbarazo", Spanish; Castilian: "El Jardinero", Spanish; Castilian: "La Medicina",Spanish; Castilian: "El Africano" and Spanish; Castilian: "El Loco y La Luna".
Wilfrido appeared in the 1989 film Spanish; Castilian: "Que viva el merengue y la lambada".[7]
He was nominated in 1991 for the 33rd Grammy Awards in the Best Tropical Latin Performance for his album Animation. He won a Spanish; Castilian: "Gaviota de Plata" (Silver Seagull) in the 1992 Viña del Mar International Song Festival.[8] 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.[9]
The song Spanish; Castilian: "El Africano" from his 1983 album Spanish; Castilian: "El Funcionario" was the basis for the 1991 hit single, Spanish; Castilian: "Mami El Negro" by Cuban-American rapper DJ Laz.
For the telenovela Bellísima, Wilfrido performed the theme song, Spanish; Castilian: "Amor Casual" and also performed the song Spanish; Castilian: "Que Será" for the 1997 film Out to Sea.[10]
In 2003 he acted in the drama filmSpanish; Castilian: "Exito por intercambio".[11] [12]
Vargas participated in 2007 at the Colombian version of The X Factor, as the groups mentor.[13]
Today Vargas is one of the best-known artists in Latin America with hit songs such as Spanish; Castilian: "El Africano" (written by Calixto Ochoa[14]), Spanish; Castilian: "Abusadora", Spanish; Castilian: "Comején", Spanish; Castilian: "A Mover la Colita", Spanish; Castilian: "El Baile del Perrito" and Spanish; Castilian: "Volveré".
As of 2010, he lives in Colombia.[15]
| Title | Year | Chart[16] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 "—". | |||
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | |
| 1989 | Que Viva el Merengue y la Lambada | Himself | |
| 2003 | Éxito Por Intercambio | Himself | |