The Legendary Merengue Artist Wilfrido Vargas

Wilfrido Vargas is one of the most influential Merengue artists in history. A true Merengue pioneer, Vargas revolutionized the sounds of this vibrant Latin music genre, which he exposed to the world during the 1980s. The following is a short biography of the legendary Dominican artist Wilfrido Vargas.

Trivia

• Full name: Wilfrido Radhames Vargas Martinez.
• Besides being a songwriter and producer, Wilfrido Vargas is also an outstanding trumpet player.
• Wilfrido Vargas created the famous female Merengue band Las Chicas del Can.

From Altamira to Santo Domingo

Wilfrido Vargas was born in 1949 in Altamira, a small town located in the Dominican province of Puerto Plata. Just like many other famous artists, Wilfrido Vargas developed his passion for music because he grew up surrounded by instruments and different melodies. Both of his parents were musicians and from an early age he was exposed to the sounds of guitar, flute and accordion.

During the early 1970s, Wilfrido Vargas moved to Santo Domingo to pursue his music dreams. In 1972, he formed his first Merengue band called "Wilfrido Vargas y sus Beduinos." A couple of years later, he created a new band under the name "Wilfrido Vargas y Orquesta."

King of Merengue

Wilfrido Vargas built his reputation during the 1980s. In fact, back then he was the absolute king of Merengue music. He achieved that title because of the way he changed Merengue music by increasing the tempo of it and adding elements from other Tropical genres such as Cumbia, Reggae and Urban sounds.

During this decade, Wilfrido Vargas produced some of his most enduring songs including "Abusadora," "El Jardinero," "Comejen" and "El Africano," among many others. Since then, Wilfrido Vargas has continued his career living out of everything he created during those years.

During the 1990s, Merengue flourished as a worldwide phenomenon thanks to artists like Olga Tañon, Los Hermanos Rosario and Juan Luis Guerra. Even though Wilfrido Vargas lost some of the popularity he gained in previous years, his influence on Merengue music is perennial. He changed this music genre and opened the doors of the world to one of the most vibrant rhythms ever created in Latin Music.