Juan Luis Guerr A Musical Influential

Musical Influences from Home

Juan Luis Guerra is a Dominican singer and songwriter who has established a heavy Caribbean influence in his music. He has gained popularity throughout Latin America because of his stand- out merengue style and Afro Latino sound. He has also managed to gain credit for shaping bachata music. Juan Luis Guerra has been so influential to modern Dominican music and has especially helped shape merengue and bachata by using outside influences. These influences include the traditional Dominican sounds while also including other diverse rhythms like salsa, rock and roll, and even gospel. He made sure to hold on to the musical rhythms that were known to him from his roots in the Dominican Republic; merengue and bachata. Juan

Although none of his family members were musically involved, he began playing the guitar at a young age. In the Dominican Republic at the time, getting far with a career in music was not the best route for success. His mother felt that first, he would need to obtain a good job, and then later he would be able to play music as well. So, he chose to study philosophy and literature at a University in Santo Domingo, which did not last long. He decided to pursue music by studying guitar and music theory at a music school in Santo Domingo. After that, he chose to further his music by moving to the United States to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. That is where he graduated with a degree in Jazz composition in

He is able to venture out and experiment with many musical styles and still keep his originality in music. He is inspired by many artists and his own life experiences. As I mentioned before, Juan Luis Guerra has shaped merengue and bachata music. It is displayed through his success in bringing a new audience to both of these Dominican styles of music. He has attracted the attention of the older generation of merengue and bachata listeners while also managing to attract a newer audience by reviving his own style of it. Nonetheless, Guerra is said to have shaped bachata music. Although some may think otherwise, I believe he has. As mentioned before, the Beatles have displayed bachata rhythms in their music and Juan Luis Guerra has mentioned that the Beatles are a part of what inspire him in his music. Just as he was able to hear bachata in songs by the Beatles, he may have took this inspiration to bring back bachata music of the Dominican Republic in his own new