Dark Latin Groove (DLG) is a salsa band that mixes

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and hip-hop. The group was brought together in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

by producer

Sergio George Sergio George (born May 23, 1961) is an American pianist, arranger, and record producer, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music, although he has worked in other genres of the music industry as well. He has worked with som ...

(who also signed them to his record company Sir George Records) and included

Huey Dunbar Huey Dunbar (born Eustace Dunbar IV; May 15, 1974) is the former singer of Dark Latin Groove. Born in New York City, New York to a Puerto Rican mother and a Jamaican father, he was exposed to music since his earliest years due to his parents' musi ...

, Fragancia, and James "Da Barba" de Jesus.

Beginnings

Looking for vocalists, Sergio George discovered within the salsa club scenes both Huey Dunbar and James "Da Barba" de Jesus. De Jesus had previously been a backup singer for both

Tito Nieves Humberto "Tito" Nieves (born June 4, 1959; also known "El Pavarotti de la Salsa") is a Puerto Rican musician who became one of the leading salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s. Born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and raised in the Unite ...

and Sistah Souljah. Their first appearance took place in April 1996 when they performed alongside Sergio George, who took up keyboard.

Breakup

After their third album in 2000, lead singer

decided to break away from DLG to pursue a solo career. This essentially led to an anticipated breakup of the entire group. James DaBarba and Fragrancia formed a new DLG with a new female member.

Rebirth

In 2007, DLG producer Sergio George announced that the group would resurface again. Dunbar rejected George's invitation to return to the group. Sergio's search for a new vocalist led him to " Miss YaYa", whose real name is Yahaira Vargas. She had previously participated in an American-Idol-like contest called 'Gigantes del Mañana' on the variety show

Sabado Gigante Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday ("Saturn's Day") for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens. The day's na ...

in 2000. In addition, YaYa was on the first season of Sean P. Diddy Combs show

Making the Band ''Making the Band'' is an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. Except for the first iteration o ...

3 in 2005 on MTV. Her manager contacted Sergio who reviewed her work and photos via myspace.com. They set up an interview in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

with Sergio, and James "Da Barba". The new DLG, with Miss YaYa and James Da Barba, was nominated for a 2009

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

in the "Best Tropical Album" category, and a 2009

Premio Lo Nuestro The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began in ...

award for "Best Tropical Group." In 2019 they released the single "Aquí Quién Manda Soy Yo! (feat. Willy Garcia)" and in 2020, the single "Por Qué Te Tengo Que Olvidar".

Discography

Albums

* 1996: ''

Dark Latin Groove Dark Latin Groove (DLG) is a salsa band that mixes Salsa music, salsa, reggae and Hip hop music, hip-hop. The group was brought together in New York City, New York by producer Sergio George (who also signed them to his record company Sir George ...

'' * 1997: ''

Swing On Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing ri ...

'' * 1999: '' Gotcha!'' * 2007: ''

Renacer Renacer may refer to: * "Renacer" (song), a 1990 single by Gloria Estefan * ''Renacer'' (Dark Latin Groove album) * ''Renacer'' (Pablo Ruiz album), 2010 * '' Renacer...Special Edition'', an album by Ana Gabriel * ''Renacer'' (Senses Fail album ...

'' * 2018: '' Historias Sin Contar (album)''

Compilations

* 2000: ''Greatest Hits'' * 2000: ''Grandes Éxitos'' * 2003: ''Serie Azul Tropical'' * 2004: '' Lo Esencial'' * 2005: ''20 Éxitos Originales'' * 2010: ''Mis Favoritas''

References

External links

* American experimental musical groups American salsa groups Musical groups established in 1996 {{US-band-stub