Eddy Herrera & Sergio Vargas in Bogotá

Eddy Herrera is a Dominican merengue singer, born in Santiago de los Caballeros in 1964. He first became widely known as a vocalist in Wilfrido Vargas’s orchestra before forming his own group in 1990. His solo catalog includes “Pégame Tu Vicio,” “Carolina,” “Demasiado Niña” and “Tú Eres Ajena,” while the album Ahora won the Latin Grammy for Best Merengue/Bachata Album. Beginning in 1984, Eddy Herrera spent six years performing and touring with Wilfrido Vargas’s orchestra. After establishing his own orchestra, he carried that full-band merengue format into theatres, dance venues and Latin festivals, including concerts for Dominican communities in New York.

Sergio Vargas is a Dominican merengue singer, born in 1960 in Villa Altagracia. He established his solo repertoire with songs including “La ventanita,” “Marola” and his Spanish-language interpretation of “La quiero a morir.” In 1980, he performed at Rafael Solano’s Festival de la Voz before singing in Dionis Fernández’s orchestra and Los Hijos del Rey. He later formed his own orchestra and documented its full-band merengue sound in a concert recording made at Altos de Chavón.