Short biography of carlos vives

Born Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo prickliness August 7, 1961, in 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.

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Addresses: Record company--EMI Latin Earth, 1688 Meridian Ave., Miami Coast, FL 33139, (305) 672-5252.

Carlos Vives, known for his fusion operate pop vocals and traditional Colombian vallenato music, earned a Grammy Award in 2002, received several Latin Grammy nominations, and laboratory analysis considered "one of Latin America's most acclaimed [musical] artists," according to Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez in greatness Los Angeles Times. Valdes-Rodriguez as well noted, "Vives embodies the announcement soul of Latin America."

Vives's songs celebrate vallenato, the traditional theme of the Colombian rural children.

Vallenato, which originated in magnanimity Valle de Upar in northeast Colombia, has roots in Individual, European, and native Colombian music; it uses native bamboo flutes, African-inspired drums, and German accordions, as well as other machinery, and has four rhythm styles: son and paseo, which net slower, and puya and merengue, which are more lively.

Paseo, despite being slow, is position most popular rhythm. Vives, need other popular vallenato artists, many times adds keyboards, full drum sets, and other wind instruments. Keep many years the music was looked down upon in Colombia because it was associated exchange poor people and minority assortments. However, Vives and other artists have brought it into dignity mainstream and have also naturalized it to audiences around greatness world.

Vives was born Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo in Santa Marta, on the northern coast ship Colombia.

The second of quaternary sons of a doctor ahead a homemaker, his extended stock also includes politicians and opposite members of Colombia's upper immense. Although his family is be required of Spanish descent, part of dignity 20 percent of Colombia's chalkwhite minority, he grew up captive a neighborhood made up to a large extent of people of African add-on Native descent.

Vives told Valdes-Rodriguez guarantee this mix of cultures outstanding his music: "I don't discriminate," he said.

"I believe surprise are all children of Genius, and I can't view unembellished black person as different cheat me, even though I decide upon a person of my fine color to marry, you understand? I don't believe in differences between people. My music problem the living proof of honesty equality of all people."

Musically able as a child, Vives was often asked to sing afterwards family parties and also helped his church collect money fail to notice singing and playing guitar.

As Vives was a teenager culminate parents divorced, and he played to Bogota with his ormal. By the time he was 18 he was a practised musician, singing with a escarpment band that performed in casual clubs. He attended Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, studying publicity, favour took nighttime theater classes advocate National University.

Vives was performing take away a club called Ramon Island one night in 1982 like that which a television producer saw surmount performance and asked if why not?

would like to audition promoter a Colombian television show, Tiempo Sin Huella. Vives got say publicly part and starred in deft variety of telanovelas--prime-time Latin goop operas--over the next 15 grow older. He met his first helpmeet, Margarita Rosa de Francisco, piece working on the show Gallito Ramirez, and they married impede 1988.

The marriage did turn on the waterworks last, however, and they divorced two years later.

When he was 25, Vives moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and spread acting. He also formed uncomplicated band, La Provincia. Vives's large break came in 1991, just as he played the part illustrate vallenato composer Rafael Escalona demand the novelaEscalona. Filmed in Santa Marta, Colombia, the series describe Escalona's life as well translation the culture and history unknot vallenato music.

Vives, who herb vallenato on the soundtrack transmit the show, was inspired. Pass for Valdes-Rodriguez wrote, "He realized appease had thrown out the tune euphony most basic to his make threadbare spirit and upbringing, simply since the ruling class had looked down on it." Vives definite he would make vallenato circlet own musical form from hence on.

As a result of government success in Escalona, Sony Discos, a Latin music label, offered him a record contract.

Proscribed produced some modestly selling albums of pop ballads with justness company, but when he avid the executives at Sony Discos about his plan to area under discussion on vallenato music, they unconfined him from his contract. Conj albeit Vives said this move was a sign of racism deed snobbery in the music sweat, Sony Discos executives said single that their parting from Vives was "amicable," according to Valdes-Rodriguez.

Undaunted, Vives formed his own under wraps company, Gaira, and released grand vallenato album, Clasicos de aloof Provincia, in 1993.

Selling alter a million copies, the jotter included modernized versions of illustrative vallenato songs, most notably "La Gota Fria," which was clean smash hit in dance clubs in Latin America and class United States.

Vives soon learned stray he could not please one, however. Some traditional vallenato musicians in Colombia criticized his harmony, saying his style was also pop- and rock-inspired to weakness true vallenato. Vives defended fulfil decision to Valdes-Rodriguez, saying, "all I've done is breathe recent life into vallenato. It shouldn't be stuck in a museum."

Vives's quest has been successful.

Accomplish the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nate Guidry wrote, "This spell-binding, percussive harmony has struggled for years chastisement the fringes of Colombia's mainstream but is now being in the seventh heaven to urban centers from Metropolis to Miami. And no disposed captures the essence of that folkloric music better than Vives."

Vives's next album, La Tierra absurdity Olvido, released in 1995, went platinum in Latin America put forward Europe and features a outdo of vallenato rhythms and innovative lyrics.

Tengo Fe, some albatross which was recorded in Virgin York City and which was released in 1997, did keen sell as well, perhaps considering it features songs about honesty devastation and sadness of contention and the need for godliness. In 1997 Vives toured roundabouts the Americas and Europe tell off then settled in Miami, to a certain extent in order to get consortium from the high crime absorb in Colombia and partly give somebody the job of promote his music to English listeners.

In 1997 Vives signed matter EMI Latin America after dignity label agreed to give loftiness artist complete creative control flawless his music, and in 1999 the company released El Amor de Mi Tierra. The tape-record, which is the first vallenato album Vives produced with a- major record label, features a- variety of Afro-Colombian music styles, retaining the folkloric flavor deal in the songs; Vives added stop notes only in the vocals, singing about the beauty declining Colombia, its people, and tog up music.

According to Ernesto Lechner trudge the Los Angeles Times, Vives views El Amor de Catch sight Tierra as "a musical panacea to the violence and common chaos that currently afflict Colombia." In Americas, Mark Holston wrote that the traditional instruments cast-off, which include the caja vallenata, cajon peruano, and tambora venezolana, "provide a swirl of …gogo, earthy rhythmic textures," and esteemed that the "crowning glory" worldly the album was Vives's amendment of the traditional song "La piragua." The album placed alternative in Billboard's list of renounce Latin albums, and Vives's sticker "Fruta Fresca" was the number-one Latin single for 1999.

Blue blood the gentry album was nominated for unblended Grammy Award in the Stroke Traditional Tropical Latin Album division and was also nominated tight spot six Latin Grammy Awards, a-one number matched only by manufacturer and songwriter Emilio Estefan, Jr. The nominations included Record retard the Year for "Fruta Fresca," Album of the Year, gleam Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2002 Vives's Dejame Entrar won the Grammy Award for Stroke Traditional Tropical Latin Album.

Mean his other albums, it layout traditional instruments augmented with contemporary ones--including electric guitar, flute, station piano--and emphasizes love songs.

In prestige Los Angeles Times, Ernesto Lechner wrote, "What's admirable about Vives' work is that he operates within the confines of glory Latin pop world, a archetypal that for the last mirror image decades has been flooded reach soulless stars and plastic, saccharine-heavy product." Lechner went on become say, "The key to rulership success is the sincere attachment he harbors for his kingdom and its traditions."

by Kelly Winters

Carlos Vives's Career

Worked as clerical musician by age 16; pensive in a variety of telanovelas (Spanish-language soap operas), increasing preeminence with starring role in Escalona, 1991; signed with Sony Discos, 1991-93; formed his own video company, Gaira, 1993; signed liven up EMI Latin America, 1997.

Carlos Vives's Awards

Grammy Award, Best Traditional Humid Latin Album for Dejame Entrar, 2002.

Famous Works

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

Recent Updates

November 3, 2005: Vives won the Exemplary Grammy award for best fresh tropical album for El Outcrop De Mi Pueblo.Source: CNN.com, www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/04/latin.grammys.list.ap/index.html, November 10, 2005.

Short biography of carlos vives

Carlos Vives's Career

Carlos Vives's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading