Johnny Pacheco
| Johnny Pacheco | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Juan Azarías Pacheco Kiniping |
| Born | March 25, 1935 |
| Origin | Santiago, Dominican Republic |
| Genres | Son montuno, Guaracha, Cha cha chá, Pachanga, Salsa |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, musician, composer, arranger |
| Instruments | Percussion, flute, saxophone |
| Labels | Fania Records |
Johnny Pacheco (born 25 March 1935) is a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, producer, and bandleader of Cuban music (guaracha, son montuno, danzón, cha cha chá, guajira-son, pachanga). He is one of the most influential figures in Latin music, best known for being the creator of the Fania All-Stars, and for coining the term "Salsa" to denote the genre.
Born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, Pacheco inherited his passion for music from his father, Rafael Azarías Pacheco, who was the bandleader and clarinetist of the "Santa Cecilia Orchestra". In the late 1940s, when Pacheco was 11, his family moved to New York City. He continued polishing his musical skills, learning to play accordion, violin, flute, saxophone and clarinet.
His father, Rafael Azarías Pacheco, was the grandson of a Spanish soldier who arrived during the Spanish reannexation of Santo Domingo. His mother, Octavia Knipping Rochet, was the granddaughter of a French colonist, and the great-granddaughter of a German merchant who was married to a Dominican woman who was born to Spanish colonists.
Playing the flute, saxophone, and assorted percussion, Pacheco performed with Charlie Palmieri's Latin orchestra for a number of years before forming his own band in 1959.
In 1960, he organized his first orchestra, Pacheco y Su Charanga. The band signed with Alegre Records and its first album Johnny Pacheco y Su Charanga sold over 100,000 copies within the first year. Beginning then and through the end of 1963, Pacheco introduced a new dance craze called "Pachanga". He became an internationally renowned star and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Moreover "Pacheco y Su Charanga" was the first Latin band to headline the Apollo in 1962 and 1963.
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