Yesterday, the legendary Dominican artist Johnny Ventura passed away at the age of 81. Ventura was nicknamed “El Caballo Mayor”, a sign of reverence he earned. Latin artists from across the world are expressing their condolences at the loss.
Born Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano in Santo Domingo in 1940, Ventura bwould go on to become one of the most legendary artists in Dominican music. Ventura began his career with various groups in the Dominican Republic after being discovered at the age of 16. After a few years singing in various groups, Ventura went solo. He moved to New York and began performing with many of the biggest artists of the era. Ventura became especially close friends with Celia Cruz. His friendship with Cruz may have influenced his musical style a bit. Ventura would incorporate salsa into his merengue tracks creating a unique blend.
Over the course of his career, Ventura released dozens of albums spanning decades. He released his last album in 2016.
Ventura served as Vicemayor for 4 years before being elected the Mayor of Santo Domingo in 1998. He served as Mayor for 4 years. Ventura died of a heart attack yesterday.
This week’s song is Merenguero Hasta La Tambora. I chose this song because of the clear pride that Johnny Ventura had in being Johnny Ventura. It was clear that he approached each of his songs with pride and an excitement. He understood the weight he carried with each song. This song is an expression of that excitement. Ventura sings of being a proud merenguero until the tambora (a Dominican drum) plays him off. Given his death, this song rings a little more sentimental. Ventura truly was a meregnuero until the final drumroll.
From 2004, Merenguero Hasta La Tambora.
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