The guitar-based music known as bachata was born in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960s. Brought to the U.S. by Dominican migrants, it has continually developed to reflect the changing tastes of fans and musicians. Bachata became increasingly popular among younger Dominican Americans in the 1990s and 2000s. This generation of artists reshaped the music, blending multiple genres with Spanish and English lyrics to reflect their multicultural reality. In this book, 27 artists share their personal and collective insights into how modern bachata provides an intimate representation of what it means to be Dominican, Latino, multicultural, and bilingual in a transnational setting.

Julie A. Sellers is a Spanish professor at Benedictine College, and a Federally Certified Court Interpreter. She lives in Atchison, Kansas.

Julie A. Sellers
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 244
Bibliographic Info: 65 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9882-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2744-1
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Foreword by Jerry W. Carlson • 1

Preface • 3

Introduction • 5

Dre Hidalgo, 2 Strong Music • 21

Eric “Bori” Rivera • 32

Eunel (Nueva Era) • 38

Alexander “Chichí” Caba • 43

Felix Nuñez • 57

sP Polanco • 70

Danny D • 78

Steven Cruz • 84

JC • 89

Jay Heightz • 95

J’Martin • 103

Javier Franco • 108

Carlos Vargas • 115

Alejandra Feliz • 121

Eto • 125

Mambo Leo • 128

Joel Valerio • 134

Voz a Voz: Gio D’Oleo and Ronny Mercedes • 141

Grupo Extra: Tony Santana and Manny Rod • 153

Marlyn • 161

Lynx • 167

Ronny Dae • 174

John Odino • 179

Kewin Cosmos • 184

Liza + Willie • 191

Karlos Rosé • 198

Solo 2: Aldric and Brandon Cruz • 202

Conclusion • 209

List of Interviews • 223

Chapter Notes • 225

Works Cited • 229

Index • 231

Winner, “It Looks Like a Million” Book Award—Kansas Authors Club