Juan Luis Guerra’s masterful compositions are unmatched, and the Dominican Republic-born singer/songwriter has earned the respect of many of his fans and peers through the years in addition to countless awards.
Known for fusing many sounds, from Afro-Latin to merengue and more, Guerra has spent a career creating music that has been embraced around the world. He’s also credited with helping take bachata to a larger audience.
For Guerra’s birthday (June 7), here are highlights of some of his most celebrated works and a special collaboration with one of Latin music’s biggest pop stars.
“Ojala Que Llueva Cafe” (Live)
When Guerra hits the stage he’s in total command and connects with his audiences in the most endearing of ways. This song’s live version shows the magic of his on-stage work and ability to mesmerize:
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“Bachata Rosa”
In 1990, Guerra’s Bachata Rosa album and the song of the same earned him his first Grammy. It also showed a different side of his music, one featuring more up-tempo music and the romantic bachatas:
“Burbujas De Amor”
Guerra popularized bachata in the early ’90s with several songs including “Burbujas de Amor.” It also led him to a Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance:
“Para Ti”
In 2004, Guerra released his first new album in six years. Most of the songs in “Para Ti” were Christian. The album was recognized for its achievements in Gospel-Pop and Tropical-Merengue:
“Cuando Me Enamoro”
The catchy and romantic track was written by Enrique Iglesias and Descemer Bueno, but it’s Guerra’s presence and vocals that adds the right touch to the composition that has racked up more than 555 million views on YouTube: