Álvaro López (Colombian musician)

López was born on 22 August 1958 in Santa Marta, in the Colombian department of Magdalena.^[1] His father Miguel López and uncle Elberto López were both vallenato accordionists, and were vallenato kings at the Vallenato Legend Festival in 1972 and 1980 respectively.^[2]

López began playing accordion as a child, and started performing at the age of 14.^[1] He won the amateur accordionist competition of the Vallenato Legend Festival in 1976 and 1979.^[3] In 1986, López released the album Ahora con Álvaro López with Jorge Oñate, the first of eleven albums that they recorded together.^[4] López and Oñate also won several Golden Congos at the Barranquilla Carnival.^[1] López has also recorded with Beto Zabaleta [es] and Rafael Santos Díaz [es], and was the last accordionist to record an album with Diomedes Díaz.^[3][4]

In 1992, López won the professional accordionist competition of the Vallenato Legend Festival and was crowned vallenato king.^[2] In 2017 he won the king of kings competition, open only to previous kings, defeating Christian Camilo Peña (second), Almes Granados (third), and his cousin Navin López.^[5] El Universal reported that the favourite to win had initially been Wilber Mendoza, son of Colacho Mendoza.^[4] López was accompanied by Widinso Arias Martínez on caja and Ricardo José Vega Vásquez on guacharaca; they performed the merengue "Alcirita" (written by Luis Enrique Martínez), the paseo "Consuelo" (by Rafael Escalona), the puya "Dejala Vení" (by Nafer Durán), and the son "Delicado y Cencillito" (by Pacho Rada).^[6]