José Manuel Calderón
José Manuel Calderón, born in 1941, is generally credited as the first artist to record bachata, cutting songs including "Borracho de Amor" and "Qué Será de Mí (Condena)" in 1962 at a Santo Domingo studio. Descended from the romantic guitar bolero, his early recordings established the guitar-led, lovelorn template from which the entire bachata tradition grew. He is honored as "El Pionero de la Bachata."
the sound in question
1962
Borracho de AmorJosé Manuel Calderón
we haven’t charted José Manuel Calderón yet
this stretch of the river isn’t mapped. we trace the watershed one artist at a time — and we’re always heading further upstream.