Aventura (band)

Aventura is an American bachata group formed in The Bronx, New York. With the lineup always consisting of the members Romeo Santos, Henry Santos, Lenny Santos (Len Melody), and Max Santos (Max Agende), they are regarded as one of the most influential Latin groups of all time. All of the members are of Dominican descent, although Romeo is also half Puerto Rican on his mother's side. They were the first major bachata act to have originated in the United States instead of the Dominican Republic. The group was integral to the evolution of bachata music and are the pioneers of the modern bachata sound. Aventura released five studio albums in a decade, creating many top 10 hits like "Cuando Volverás", "Un Beso", "Mi Corazoncito", "Los Infieles", "El Perdedor", "Por Un Segundo", "Dile Al Amor", among others. They have sold out many arenas including the world famous Madison Square Garden. Aventura has been nominated for awards such as American Music Awards, the Latin Grammy Awards, ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, and Premio Lo Nuestro. Aventura is one of the most internationally recognized Latin groups of the last two decades and frequently refer to themselves as "K.O.B.", or "Kings of Bachata".

History

Formation, Los Tinellers and Aventura

In 1993, Lenny Santos and his brother Max Santos formed Los Tinallers. Lenny and Max were looking for a singer who could help them take their music career more serious. Lenny didn't know anybody in their neighborhood who could sing. He was later introduced to Anthony Santos via one of the group's musicians named Roney Fernandez who attended the same school as Anthony. They clicked instantly, and the two started working on songs together. Anthony was a singer and composer who would sing with his cousin Henry at their local church choir. Anthony later introduces Lenny to his cousin Henry, who also joins the group. The group would perform for their neighbors, at local stores and in the streets for free in the Bronx. The group decided to change the name to Los Tinellers, a play on the word teenager. The group consisted of lead members Lenny and Anthony.

In 1995, the group was discovered by Elvin Polanco when Lenny and Anthony asked him if they could perform at a local parade he was hosting. Elvin, seeing potential in the group, became their manager. He helped them record their first studio album despite having no funds. They released their debut album in 1995 titled "Trampa de Amor" under Elca Productions. The album did not do well commercially, selling a total of five copies. Elvin Polanco ran into some health problems and the group was left without a manager at that time.

In 1996, with the help of new manager Julio César García, the group created a new image. Julio added Henry and Max as lead members. He made the group to resemble popular American boy bands. He renamed the group to Aventura. They signed a record deal with Premium Latin Music, Inc. They made their big break in 1999, with the hopes of breaking bachata music into the mainstream from its traditional base. They slowly began to gather fans in the cities of Boston and Lancaster. The group was the first to experiment with bachata by fusing the genre with R&B, hip hop & rap, reggae and rock. They were the first bachata act to sing a whole bachata song in English. Anthony innovated bachata with fresh lyrics that incorporated songs with different themes, instead of just singing about heartbreak. Lenny innovated bachata guitar with his use of electric guitars. He also innovated the tone of bachata guitar by adding guitar effects such as wah, phaser, distortion, tremolo, and harmonizer. Max innovated the bachata bass with his use of bass techniques such as slapping and bass slides. Max incorporated a lot of rock bass riffs into bachata. Their sound helped make the genre mainstream, as showed with the success of their 2002 hit song " Obsesión". The song achieved huge success in many countries, topping many international charts like France, Germany, and Italy. Since then they have blown up internationally with hits such as "Su Veneno", "Todavia Me Amas", "El Malo", "Te Invito", "Por Un Segundo", among others. Toby Love began his music career with Aventura and left in 2005 to pursue a solo career in bachata. They have been inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame.

On September 1, 2007, Aventura performed as the main act on the sold-out Madison Square Garden concert. They were accompanied by Don Omar, Antony Santos, Wisin y Yandel, Miri Ben-Ari, Toby Love, and El Torito

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