La Sonora Dinamita In Concert
Internationally renowned cumbia legends La Sonora Dinamita (The Dynamite Sound) returned to their roots in 2016 with ‘Junto por la Sonora' (Together for the Sound). The album nodded to the Colombian band's origins by featuring vocalist Daniela Argaín, daughter of founding bandleader Lucho Argaín, and renewed La Sonora's long history with Mexico by featuring nearly two dozen guest artists from that country.
La Sonora Dinamita's long cumbia journey began in Cartagena in 1960, when the Discos Fuentes label launched the música tropical institution under Argaín's direction. When the group's blend of salsa and cumbia failed to take off, it was reformed in 1975 under the leadership of Discos Fuentes artistic director Julio Ernesto Estrada "Fruko" Rincón.
Fruko quickened the beat and finessed Sonora's walking bass lines, sparkling electric piano, and unison horn parts into a matchless hit machine. The reborn group recorded its first album, ‘La Fulminante' (Devastation) in Mexico, and its success launched a wave of cumbia madness across Latin America.
Fruko's cumbia innovation continued in 1981 with the addition of Mélida Yará Yanguma — aka La India Meliyará — to La Sonora's lineup. She was the first of many female performers — including Lucha López, Vilma Díaz, and cumbia "goddess" Margarita Vargas — who were nurtured by the ensemble and who later enjoyed brilliant solo careers.
La Sonora cemented its reputation throughout the '80s and '90s with hits that included "Amor de Mis Amores" (Love of My Loves), "Escándola" (Scandal), "A Mover la Colita" (Move Your Ass), and "Mi Cucu," a million-selling remake of Sidney Simien's crossover zydeco smash, "My Toot Toot." Albums like ‘Éxitos Tropicosos' (Tropical Hits) and ‘32 Cañonazos' (32 Greatest Hits) collected the best of their cumbia.
In 2016, the estate of La Sonora Dinamita founder Luis Guillermo Pérez Cedrón legally reestablished his ownership despite counterfeit combos exploiting the group's name. Anyone needing proof of La Sonora's authenticity today, however, need look no further than ‘Juntos por la Sonora,' a 22-track collection of La Sonora hits and traditional cumbias accompanied by as many stars of Mexican music. Some of these — including Dr. Shenka, Pablo Montero, Coque Muñiz, and Mariana Seoane — also have been joining La Sonora Dinamita onstage.
