Fabri Meriño was born on 21 May 1952 in El Molino, in the Colombian department of La Guajira.[1] Her mother was Francisca Manjarrez, and her maternal grandfather Manuel Salinas was an accordionist.[1]
Meriño was taught accordion in El Molino by José Oviedo Pedraza, starting in 1967. Her brothers pooled money to buy her a Hohner accordion.[1]
Meriño competed in the accordionist competition of the first Vallenato Legend Festival in 1968, at the age of 16, losing to Alejo Durán.[1] Following her performance, Alfredo Gutiérrez asked her to join his band; Meriño's mother refused, but she did play some shows with him.[1][2] Meriño then formed a vallenato conjunto with her brothers Agustín, Osmel, and José Manuel, and travelled with them to Maracaibo, Venezuela.[1]
In Maracaibo, Meriño acquired a Paolo Soprani [it] accordion, which she played at the 1969 Vallenato Legend Festival, where she competed in the newly created amateur accordionist category.[1] She passed the first round, but was disqualified from the second round after being intentionally delayed.[1] Meriño competed again in 1970, but lost in the first round.[3]
At the 1969 Festival, Aníbal Velásquez asked Meriño to join his conjunto, and she toured with him for the next two years, alongside vocalist Amparo Quiceno.[1] Meriño appeared on some recordings with the group, including the guaracha "Mambo Loco".[3]
In Venezuela, Meriño met the musician Francisco Parada Salcedo, with whom she had a daughter Lisbeth when she was 17.[1]
Meriño died in November 1971 when the bus she was in crashed on the outskirts of Turbaco.[1][4] José Velásquez wrote the song "Homenaje a Faby Meriño" in her memory.[4]