Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
, who was very popular in the 80s and 90s, during the "golden age of merengue" and today remains active as one of the leading figures in Dominican merengue. His brothers, Kaki and Johnny, are also interpreters of the genre and have been by his side for much of their respective musical careers.
Vargas was a deputy for the
Dominican Liberation Party
The Dominican Liberation Party (Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, referred to here by its Spanish acronym, the PLD) is a political party in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1973 by former president Juan Bosch, the party, along ...
representing his people Villa Altagracia in the period 2006–2010.
Career
Known as El negrito de Villa, Vargas participated in the Festival of the Voice organized by the Dominican musician
Rafael Solano
Rafael Solano Sánchez (born 10 April 1931 in San Felipe de Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic) is a Dominican pianist, songwriter, composer, arranger, author, and former Dominican ambassador to UNESCO.Fernando Villalona and Raulín Rosendo. It was in this group that its popularity began to grow, so much so that the group had fan clubs in Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama and the East Coast of the United States.
In 1986 Sergio released his first LP under the Karen Records label. This LP includes the single "La quiero a morir" (''I Love Her to Death''), which is the Spanish version of "Je l'aime à mourir" by the French singer Francis Cabrel. In 1987 he recorded another album with Los Hijos del Rey titled "the earth quaked", with which he achieved great success. At the moment Sergio launched as a soloist, most of the musicians left with him, except for Diómedes Nuñez and shortly after Orvis García. The arrangements for this production are by Sonny Ovalles and his pianist Juan Valdez. The singles of this production are "Ciclón (indoor party)", "Marola", "On the other side of the sun", "Bamboleo", "This humble house", "Days of June" and "Black Pearl".
Albums / LP
* I love her to death (1986)
*The Earth Trembled (1987)
*Cyclone (Festa do interior) (1988)
*The unconditional (1989)
*This is my country (1991)
*Bullfighter (1992)
*By H or by R (1993)
*The meringue is danced and danced (1994)
*Like a bolero (1994)
*Love Fraud (1995)
*Just Meringue (1995)
*My proposal (1996)
*Time of love (1997)
*Together (1998)
*On-time (1999)
*Once Upon a Meringue (1999)
*Another era (with Los Panchos) (1999)
*From Sergio Vargas to José Feliciano (2000)
*Go and tell him (2001)
*Bohemian Live (2003)
*Bohemian (2004)
*His successes in bachata (2004)
*New, old and half-used loves (2009)
Compilations
*The Golden Years (1994)
*The Best (1994)
*Brilliant (with Johnny Ventura) (1994)
*Musical history (1995)
*Success Story (1995)
*Face to face (with Johnny Ventura) (1997)
*The man and its meringue (1998)
*Big hits (1999)
*Meringue gold (2000)
*Series 2000 (2000)
*Between friends (with Fernando Villalona) (2000)
*Meringue (2001)
*22 Ultimate Hits (2002)
*Together (2002)
*Gold Collection: 15 Successes (2002)
*Tropical Blue Series (2003)
*15 Favorite Songs (2003)
*Diamond Collection (2004)
*Sabrosonas of the memory (2005)
*20 years are nothing (2005)
*20 original hits (2005)
*2 great voices of Quisqueya the beautiful (with Eddy Herrera) (2007)
*Collectible 10 (2007)
*A singer, 3 facets, a great artist (2008)
*My favorites (2010)
*Face to face (with Toño Rosario) (2013)
*Great voices of the century collection
Songs
With the Children of the King
*For her
*My pride
*A Man and a Woman
* Je l'aime à mourir (I love her to death)
*Oh Mariana
*The earth quaked
*Let's leave it
*If you ever see her
With Dionis Fernández & Orquesta
*The designers
*To the rhythm of the night
With The Singer Arena
*Is not easy
As soloist
*Marola (written by Luis Días)
*The earth quaked
*The vampires
*Girlfriend
*Too bad for so much love
*Ragdoll ( salsa)
*The little window
*Heart of stone
*The pill
*tell him
*Sorrows to the wind
*Magic
*A cigarette, the rain and you
*Like a bolero
*Women
*Neither you nor I
*Bad memory
*Oh my god
*What have you believed
*Lost bullet
*Go and tell
*What's up sweetheart
*It is going to hurt you
*Last night we talked about love
*Tell me where
*My brunette
Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), commonly known as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who now works as a football ambassador. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his car ...
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican musician, singer, composer, and record producer. He has sold 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Throughout his career, he has wo ...
)
*Oh! woman (originally performed by
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican musician, singer, composer, and record producer. He has sold 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Throughout his career, he has wo ...
)
*Scandal (played by Javier Solís)
*Forgive me, forget it (with Gisselle; originally performed by Juan_Gabriel_and_Rocío_Dúrcal)
*To_say_goodbye_(with_Gisselle;_originally_performed_by_José_Feliciano.html" ;"title="Rocío_Dúrcal.html" ;"title="Juan Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal">Juan Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal)
*To say goodbye (with Gisselle; originally performed by José Feliciano">Rocío_Dúrcal.html" ;"title="Juan Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal">Juan Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal)
*To say goodbye (with Gisselle; originally performed by José Feliciano and Ann Kelly)
*That which you gave me (interpreted by Alejandro Sanz)
*El negrito del Batey (played by Alberto Beltrán)
*The Broken Cup (originally performed by
José Feliciano
José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' " Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...
)
*After you what? (originally performed by
José Feliciano
José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' " Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...
)
*Why do I have to forget you? (originally performed by
José Feliciano
José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' " Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...
)
*Tell Me Heart (originally performed by
Amaury Gutiérrez
Amaury Gutiérrez is a Cuban singer and composer.
Early life
Gutiérrez was born on September 9, 1963. When he was in high school decided to pursue music, and his chance came in response to a call from the School of Art Instructors, an institut ...
)
*What once was will not be (originally performed by José José)
*I live for her (originally performed by
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting f ...
and Marta Sánchez)
*To live (composed and performed by
Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés Arias (24 February 1943 – 22 November 2022) was a Cuban guitar player and singer. He was one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola. His music, originating in the Trova, Son and ...
)
Achievements
In 2018 he received the Great Sovereign during the celebration of the 2018 Sovereign Awards, where he thanked his award with a speech in favor of education for Dominican musicians.
In 1988 he was awarded by the Association of Art Writers of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
with a Cassandra (nowadays known as sovereign awards) for his concert titled Sergio. This concert was awarded as a show of the year. Sergio Vargas also won the Casandra award for the best video clip for the song "Las vampires" by the composer Luis Días.
In 1989 CBS International offered him a record deal. After much contemplation, he left Karen Records and signed with CBS.
In 1991 it was a very productive year for Sergio Vargas' career; after participating in the television program "This is my country" he was awarded the Casandra (today called sovereign awards) award. He also received the Casandra award for his international projection and singing in places like New York's
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
in front of 20,000 spectators at the Merengue Carnival. Under the direction of producer and director Jean Louis Jorge. Sergio shot a special program for Sony Music International.
In 1993 he received a gold record, and was also one of the singers who participated in the famous Eight Street Festival in the city of Miami.
In 2018 in the largest demonstration held to artists in the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
called awards Cassandra (nowadays known as sovereign awards). Sergio Vargas had a special participation in the awards. After the participation, they gave him the recognition as THE GREAT SOVEREIGN (artist of greatest importance in the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
and internationally).
In 2021, Vargas won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Merengue/Bachata Album.
Today Sergio is known and recognized as the artist of the Homeland and his group one of the most active orchestras in the field. Countries such as Colombia, Cali, Bogota, Santa Marta, Cucuta, Ocaña, Medellin, among others, recognize Sergio as the favorite merengue of all time. His fame is so great that even in the city of Cali in the town of (Chipichapi) there are hotels that bear his name in his main suid.
Hipólito Mejía
Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez (born 22 February 1941) is a Dominican politician who served as President of the Dominican Republic from 2000 to 2004.
During his presidential term in office the country was affected by one of its worst econ ...
(2000–2004), Sergio Vargas decided to stop cutting his hair in protest until the government fixed all the streets of his hometown Villa Altagracia. To this day, Sergio still has his long hair, for Sergio, not cutting his hair is a symbol of a
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
and he always has his roots in mind and the constant struggle for Villa Altagracia to be recognized as what he is today.