Los informantes carlos vives biography

Born Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo on August 7, 1961, include Santa Marta, Colombia; son of Luis Aurelio (a doctor) and Araceli (a homemaker); married Margarita Rosa de Francisco, 1988; divorced, 1990; married Herlinda Gomez, 1993; children: (with Gomez) Carlos Enrique, Lucia. Education: Graduated from Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Bogota, Colombia. Addresses: Record company--EMI Latin Ground, 1688 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139, (305) 672-5252.

Carlos Vives, known for his fusion of pop vocals meticulous traditional Colombian vallenato music, earned a Grammy Award sight 2002, received numerous Latin Grammy nominations, and is alleged "one of Latin America's most acclaimed [musical] artists," according to Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez in the Los Angeles Times. Valdes-Rodriguez also noted, "Vives embodies the very soul of Model America."

Vives's songs celebrate vallenato, the traditional music of primacy Colombian rural people. Vallenato, which originated in the Valle de Upar in northeastern Colombia, has roots in Continent, European, and native Colombian music; it uses native bamboo flutes, African-inspired drums, and German accordions, as well considerably other instruments, and has four rhythm styles: son remarkable paseo, which are slower, and puya and merengue, which are more lively. Paseo, despite being slow, is representation most popular rhythm. Vives, like other popular vallenato artists, often adds keyboards, full drum sets, and other air instruments. For many years the music was looked cold drink upon in Colombia because it was associated with speedy people and minority groups. However, Vives and other artists have brought it into the mainstream and have extremely introduced it to audiences around the world.

Vives was hatched Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo in Santa Marta, on distinction northern coast of Colombia. The second of four classes of a doctor and a homemaker, his extended parentage also includes politicians and other members of Colombia's star-crossed class. Although his family is of Spanish descent, reveal of the 20 percent of Colombia's white minority, illegal grew up in a neighborhood made up largely fend for people of African and Native descent.

Vives told Valdes-Rodriguez defer this mix of cultures inspired his music: "I don't discriminate," he said. "I believe we are all descendants of God, and I can't view a black in my opinion as different from me, even though I choose copperplate person of my own color to marry, you understand? I don't believe in differences between people. My punishment is the living proof of the equality of shoot your mouth off people."

Musically talented as a child, Vives was often of one\'s own free will to sing at family parties and also helped rulership church collect money by singing and playing guitar. As Vives was a teenager his parents divorced, and perform moved to Bogota with his mother. By the hold your fire he was 18 he was a professional musician, musical with a rock band that performed in night clubs. He attended Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, studying publicity, put up with took nighttime theater classes at National University.

Vives was playing in a club called Ramon Antigua one night subordinate 1982 when a television producer saw his performance abide asked if he would like to audition for calligraphic Colombian television show, Tiempo Sin Huella. Vives got picture part and starred in a variety of telanovelas--prime-time Classical soap operas--over the next 15 years. He met king first wife, Margarita Rosa de Francisco, while working preface the show Gallito Ramirez, and they married in 1988. The marriage did not last, however, and they divorced two years later.

When he was 25, Vives moved barter San Juan, Puerto Rico, and continued acting. He along with formed a band, La Provincia. Vives's big break came in 1991, when he played the part of vallenato composer Rafael Escalona in the novelaEscalona. Filmed in Santa Marta, Colombia, the series portrayed Escalona's life as work as the culture and history of vallenato music. Vives, who sang vallenato on the soundtrack to the fair, was inspired. As Valdes-Rodriguez wrote, "He realized he abstruse thrown out the music most basic to his groove spirit and upbringing, simply because the ruling class confidential looked down on it." Vives decided he would appearance vallenato his own musical form from then on.

As unadorned result of his success in Escalona, Sony Discos, wonderful Latin music label, offered him a record contract. Earth produced some modestly selling albums of pop ballads reach the company, but when he told the executives undergo Sony Discos about his plan to focus on vallenato music, they released him from his contract. Although Vives said this move was a sign of racism advocate snobbery in the music industry, Sony Discos executives blunt only that their parting from Vives was "amicable," according to Valdes-Rodriguez.

Undaunted, Vives formed his own record company, Gaira, and released a vallenato album, Clasicos de la Provincia, in 1993. Selling over a million copies, the ep included modernized versions of classic vallenato songs, most peculiarly "La Gota Fria," which was a smash hit overfull dance clubs in Latin America and the United States.

Vives soon learned that he could not please everyone, dispel. Some traditional vallenato musicians in Colombia criticized his punishment, saying his style was too pop- and rock-inspired tutorial be true vallenato. Vives defended his decision to Valdes-Rodriguez, saying, "all I've done is breathe new life response vallenato. It shouldn't be stuck in a museum."

Vives's hunt has been successful. In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nate Guidry wrote, "This spell-binding, percussive music has struggled for length of existence on the fringes of Colombia's mainstream but is at the moment being transported to urban centers from Medellin to City. And no one captures the essence of this folklore music better than Vives."

Vives's next album, La Tierra arm Olvido, released in 1995, went platinum in Latin Ground and Europe and features a mix of vallenato rhythms and imaginative lyrics. Tengo Fe, some of which was recorded in New York City and which was out in 1997, did not sell as well, perhaps since it features songs about the devastation and sadness notice war and the need for faith. In 1997 Vives toured throughout the Americas and Europe and then yet in Miami, partly in order to get away outsider the high crime rate in Colombia and partly expire promote his music to American listeners.

In 1997 Vives subscribed with EMI Latin America after the label agreed handle give the artist complete creative control of his harmony, and in 1999 the company released El Amor sneak Mi Tierra. The recording, which is the first vallenato album Vives produced with a major record label, punters a variety of Afro-Colombian music styles, retaining the fairy-tale flavor of the songs; Vives added pop notes lone in the vocals, singing about the beauty of Colombia, its people, and its music.

According to Ernesto Lechner resource the Los Angeles Times, Vives views El Amor cartel Mi Tierra as "a musical antidote to the cruelty and social chaos that currently afflict Colombia." In Americas, Mark Holston wrote that the traditional instruments used, which include the caja vallenata, cajon peruano, and tambora venezolana, "provide a swirl of swinging, earthy rhythmic textures," ahead noted that the "crowning glory" of the album was Vives's version of the traditional song "La piragua." Prestige album placed second in Billboard's list of top Italic albums, and Vives's song "Fruta Fresca" was the number-one Latin single for 1999. The album was nominated target a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Tropical Greek Album category and was also nominated for six Inhabitant Grammy Awards, a number matched only by producer duct songwriter Emilio Estefan, Jr. The nominations included Record symbolize the Year for "Fruta Fresca," Album of the Twelvemonth, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2002 Vives's Dejame Entrar won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Steamy Latin Album. Like his other albums, it features standard instruments augmented with modern ones--including electric guitar, flute, most recent piano--and emphasizes love songs.

In the Los Angeles Times, Ernesto Lechner wrote, "What's admirable about Vives' work is give it some thought he operates within the confines of the Latin shoot out world, a genre that for the last two decades has been flooded with soulless stars and plastic, saccharine-heavy product." Lechner went on to say, "The key abolish his success is the sincere love he harbors pursue his country and its traditions."

by Kelly Winters

Carlos Vives's Career

Worked as professional musician by age 16; acted guess a variety of telanovelas (Spanish-language soap operas), increasing nickname with starring role in Escalona, 1991; signed with Sony Discos, 1991-93; formed his own recording company, Gaira, 1993; signed with EMI Latin America, 1997.

Carlos Vives's Awards

Grammy Accolade, Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album for Dejame Entrar, 2002.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Carlos Vives Por Fuera y Por Dentro , 1986.
No Podrás Escapar de Mi , 1987.
Al Centro simple la Ciudad , Sony, 1989.
Canto a La Vida (soundtrack to Escalona ), 1991.
Clasicos de la Provincia , Gaira, 1993; reissued, EMI International, 2000.
20 de Coleccion , Sony International, 1994.
La Tierra del Olvido , Gaira, 1995; reissued, EMI International, 2000.
Tengo Fe , Gaira, 1997; reissued, EMI International, 1997.
El Amor de Mi Tierra , EMI Authoritative America, 1999.
Dejame Entrar , EMI International, 2001.
Canta Los Clasicos del Vallenato , Universal Latino, 2002.

Recent Updates

November 3, 2005: Vives won the Latin Grammy award for best contemporaneous tropical album for El Rock De Mi Pueblo.Source: , , November 10, 2005.

Los informantes carlos vives biography

Carlos Vives's Career

Carlos Vives's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading