Kinito Méndez facts for kids

Kinito Méndez, whose real name is José del Carmen Ramírez Méndez, was born on November 18, 1963. He is a famous singer of merengue music, a lively style of music from the Dominican Republic.

Kinito Méndez's Music Journey

Kinito Méndez began his music career in 1988. He helped start a merengue band called La Cocoband. Other founding members included Alfonzo "Pochy Familia" Vásquez and Bobby Rafael. Kinito Méndez wrote and arranged many popular songs for La Cocoband. Some of these hits were "La Manito", "El Boche", "El Cacu", and "Mujer Malvada".

In early 1992, Kinito Méndez decided to start a new project. He teamed up with Bobby Rafael again to form the group "Rokabanda". Rokabanda quickly became very popular. In 1993, they won the "Orquesta Revelación del Año" award at Los Premios Cassandra. This award is for the best new orchestra of the year. With Rokabanda, Kinito Méndez created more well-known songs like "El Bacano", "El Ñoñito", and "Los Hombres Maduro".

In 1995, Kinito Méndez released his first solo album. It was called "El Hombre Merengue". This album was a huge success, selling 1.5 million copies!

The Song "El Vuelo 587"

Kinito Méndez is also known for his 1997 song "El Vuelo 587". This song is a special tribute to American Airlines Flight 587. This flight was a regular early morning trip from New York City to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Kinito Méndez helped write the lyrics for the song. He sang it along with Johnny Ventura. The song was included in an album called "Merenboom, Vol. 2". Kinito Méndez himself had flown on that exact flight many times before. He said that the song was originally meant to be about the happiness of traveling to the Dominican Republic for the holidays. The song was later re-released with the title "The Plane" or "El Avion" in Spanish.

Kinito Méndez's Albums

Here are some of the albums Kinito Méndez has released:

• El Hombre Merengue (1995)
• El Decreto de Kinito Méndez (1997)
• A Caballo... (1998)
• Su Amigo (1999)
• D'Colores (2000)
• A Palo Limpio (2001)
• Sigo Siendo el Hombre Merengue (2002)
• Celebra Conmigo (2004)
• Con Sabor a Mi (2006)
• La Fábrica (2008)

Compilation Albums

Kinito Méndez also has several compilation albums. These albums bring together his most popular songs:

• Los Éxitos de Kinito Méndez (1995)
• Cachamba 96: The Unreleased Versions (1996)
• Sólo Éxitos (1998)
• 20th Anniversary (1999)
• 12 Éxitos (2001)
• 20 Éxitos (2002)
• Éxitos de Kinito Méndez (2005)
• Vida (2009)

Albums from Pa' Ti Pa' Mi Records

Some of Kinito Méndez's albums were released by Pa' Ti Pa' Mi Records:

• El Hombre Merengue (1996)
• Vale la Pena (1998)

Music Videos

Kinito Méndez has also released music videos:

• A Caballo... (1999)
• Ayer y Hoy (2005)

See also

In Spanish: Kinito Méndez para niños