37 Facts About Johnny Pacheco

Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco, known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer.

Johnny Pacheco was one of the leading exponents of pachanga, a blend of Cuban rhythms and Dominican merengue in the late 1950s.

Johnny Pacheco popularized the use of the term "salsa" and established the Fania All-Stars to showcase the leading artists of the genre, which propelled him to worldwide fame and had an important role in the evolution of Latin music.

Johnny Pacheco was a nine-time Grammy nominee and was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Recording Academy in 2005.

Juan Pablo Johnny Pacheco Knipping was born on 25 March 1935 in Santiago de los Caballeros, a city in the Dominican Republic.

Johnny Pacheco inherited his passion for music from his father, Rafael Azarias Pacheco, who was the leader and clarinetist of the Orquesta Santa Cecilia.

Johnny Pacheco's mother, Octavia Knipping Rochet, was the granddaughter of a French colonist, and the great-granddaughter of a German merchant who was married to a Dominican woman born to Spanish colonists.

Johnny Pacheco later attended Brooklyn Technical High School, majoring in electrical engineering.

Johnny Pacheco worked in this field for a time, but eventually quit due to low salary levels.

From his first marriage, Johnny Pacheco had two daughters, Norma and Joanne.

From his second marriage, Johnny Pacheco had two sons, Philip and Elis, who excelled in the music business.

Johnny Pacheco married his long time girlfriend Cuqui in 1984, and they remained together until his passing.

In 1953, Johnny Pacheco played percussion and sang with Gil Suarez's band.

Johnny Pacheco later played percussion for several bands, including late-night shows, Lou Perez's band The Mambaleros, and the popular orchestras of Tito Puente, Xavier Cugat and Dioris Valladares.

In October 1958, Johnny Pacheco met pianist Charlie Palmieri and he joined him to record the Latin jazz album Easy Does It, released by Gone Records.

Palmieri and Johnny Pacheco then formed the charanga La Duboney in 1959, where Johnny Pacheco played flute.

Johnny Pacheco formed his own band, Johnny Pacheco Y Su Charanga, in 1960.

Johnny Pacheco's success led to a new dance fad, the pachanga.

Johnny Pacheco toured throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America in support of the album.

In late 1963, Johnny Pacheco met Jerry Masucci, a lawyer, and soon they co-founded Fania Records.

At Fania, Johnny Pacheco launched and solidified the careers of many popular salsa artists.

Johnny Pacheco named the label after the song "Fania" by Reinaldo Bolanos, made famous by Estrellas de Chocolate in Cuba in 1960.

Johnny Pacheco reorganized his charanga and transformed it into a conjunto by adding trumpets instead of violins.

In 1966, Johnny Pacheco worked with Monguito and Chivirico Davila to record another album, Viva Africa, named after the fact that Johnny Pacheco had recently toured the continent.

Johnny Pacheco then reverted to the charanga format for one album, aptly titled Pacheco y su Charanga: By Popular Demand.

In 1974, Johnny Pacheco replaced El Conde with Hector Casanova and renamed his band Johnny Pacheco y su Tumbao Anejo.

However, Johnny Pacheco's focus during the 1970s, apart from the All-Stars, was a series of collaborative albums between members of the label, including himself.

Johnny Pacheco collaborated with Celia Cruz, Justo Betancourt, Papo Lucca, Pupi Legarreta, Luis "Melon" Silva, Celio Gonzalez and Jose Fajardo, among others.

For example, rap artist Mangu invited him to collaborate on an album entitled Calle Luna y Calle Sol; Johnny Pacheco arranged the album, sang in the chorus, and played the flute.

Johnny Pacheco performed in the 1988 AIDS benefit concert "Concierto Por La Vida", held at Avery Fisher Hall.

Johnny Pacheco collaborated with the Hispanic Federation Relief Fund to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Georges.

In 1998, Johnny Pacheco was among the first group of artists inducted into International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

In 2004, Johnny Pacheco was awarded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, ASCAP Silver Pen Award.

On 5 June 2005, Johnny Pacheco was honored by Union City, New Jersey with a star on the Walk of Fame at Union City's Celia Cruz Park.

In 2007, Johnny Pacheco was portrayed by Nelson Vasquez in the movie El Cantante, starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez.

On 24 March 2009, Johnny Pacheco was awarded "El Soberano", the highest distinction given by the Association of Art Columnists of the Dominican Republic.

Johnny Pacheco was funeralized at St Cecilia Catholic Church in East Harlem.