Luis Kalaff
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luis Kalaff (October 11, 1916[1]-July 2, 2010[2]) was a Dominican singer, composer and guitarist.
October 16, 1916
Luis Kalaff | |
|---|---|
| Born | Luis Kalaff Pérez October 16, 1916 |
| Died | July 2, 2010 (aged 93) |
| Genres | merengue |
| Occupations | Singer, composer, guitarist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1939-2010 |
Life and career
His father, Juan Kalaf, was of Lebanese origins. His mother was Bernavelina Perez.[1]
He joined the band "Los Alegeres Dominicanos" and at some time traveled to the United States. Through a contract with Peer International Corp. he had joined an American record label.[1] Ballroom Dance Magazine described him as being proficient in merengue music.[3] Deborah Pancini Hernández, author of Bachata: A Social History of a Dominican Popular Music, described him as "popular".[4]
In 1958 he moved to New York City.[5]
Kalaff used boogaloo and merengue as influences in his work. Other artists like Celia Cruz and Julio Iglesias began playing songs written by Kalaff.[5] The Dominican Studies Institute of City University of New York stated that Kalaff "popularized típico merengue in New York during the 1950s".[6] In 2000, Kalaff was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.[7]