Art: @artbydario
Words: @led_black
Johnny Ventura was our James Brown, Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye all rolled into one. Dominican funk par excellence. Since the 60s, El Caballo Mayor has been winning over audiences the world over with his charisma, charms and cachet.
For us Dominicans, he was that almost constant presence in our lives for the last several decades. Classic after classic after classic. Filete. Filete… There was not an old school Dominican house party that did not have Johnny in the mix. The next time one of those records comes on in the party it is going to hit different. Real different. I know I am not the only one that feels like they have lost a beloved member of their family.
Johnny had IT. He was just that guy. His effortless cool was matched with a warmth and humility that exuded man of the people and son-of-the-soil realness. Johnny was a giant that redefined merengue, transforming it into an art form that was respected and appreciated around the globe. Johnny was pure joy in the flesh. Singing, dancing, reveling in his Dominican Blackness. Johnny Ventura was a one of one, that means none before him, none to come.
El Caballo Mayor Will Live Forever…
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