Sergio Vargas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sergio Vargas
Background information
Birth name	Sergio Pascual Vargas Parra
Also known as	El negrito de villa
Born	(1960-03-15) March 15, 1960 (age 65) Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic
Genres	Merengue
Occupations	Singer musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1980–present

Sergio Pascual Vargas Parra was born in Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic, on March 15, 1960. He is a famous singer of merengue and bolero music. Sergio Vargas was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s, a time often called the "Golden Age of Merengue." He is still one of the most important merengue artists today.

Sergio's brothers, Kaki and Johnny, are also merengue singers. They have often worked alongside him in their music careers. Besides music, Vargas also served as a deputy (a type of elected representative) for his hometown, Villa Altagracia, from 2006 to 2010.

Sergio Vargas's Music Journey

Early Career and Big Breaks

Sergio Vargas is known as "El negrito de Villa." His music journey began when he took part in the Festival of the Voice, organized by Dominican musician Rafael Solano. Sergio finished in second place. Two years later, in 1982, he joined the Dionis Fernández orchestra. With this group, Sergio sang many popular songs like "The designers" and "To the rhythm of the night."

After that, Sergio became the lead singer for the orchestra "Los Hijos del Rey" (The King's Sons). This group was first led by Fernando Villalona and Raulín Rosendo. Sergio's popularity grew a lot with this group. They even had fan clubs in places like Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama, and the East Coast of the United States.

Becoming a Solo Artist

In 1986, Sergio Vargas released his first album under the Karen Records label. This album included the hit song "La quiero a morir" (I Love Her to Death). This song was a Spanish version of "Je l'aime à mourir" by the French singer Francis Cabrel. In 1987, he recorded another successful album with Los Hijos del Rey called "The Earth Quaked."

When Sergio decided to become a solo artist, most of the musicians from Los Hijos del Rey joined him. His first solo album featured arrangements by Sonny Ovalles and pianist Juan Valdez. Some of the popular songs from this album were "Ciclón (indoor party)," "Marola," and "Bamboleo."

Albums and Music Collections

Sergio Vargas has released many albums and music collections throughout his career. Here are some of his well-known albums:

• I love her to death (1986)
• The Earth Trembled (1987)
• Cyclone (Festa do interior) (1988)
• The Unconditional (1989)
• This is My Country (1991)
• Bullfighter (1992)
• By H or by R (1993)
• The Merengue is Danced and Danced (1994)
• Like a Bolero (1994)
• Love Fraud (1995)
• Just Merengue (1995)
• My Proposal (1996)
• Time of Love (1997)
• Together (1998)
• On-Time (1999)
• Once Upon a Merengue (1999)
• Another Era (with Los Panchos) (1999)
• From Sergio Vargas to José Feliciano (2000)
• Go and Tell Him (2001)
• Bohemian Live (2003)
• Bohemian (2004)
• His Successes in Bachata (2004)
• New, Old and Half-Used Loves (2009)

Popular Song Collections

Many collections of Sergio Vargas's songs have also been released. These albums bring together his greatest hits for fans. Some examples include:

• The Golden Years (1994)
• The Best (1994)
• Brilliant (with Johnny Ventura) (1994)
• Musical History (1995)
• Success Story (1995)
• Face to Face (with Johnny Ventura) (1997)
• The Man and Its Merengue (1998)
• Big Hits (1999)
• Merengue Gold (2000)
• Series 2000 (2000)
• Between Friends (with Fernando Villalona) (2000)
• Merengue (2001)
• 22 Ultimate Hits (2002)
• Together (2002)
• Gold Collection: 15 Successes (2002)
• Tropical Blue Series (2003)
• 15 Favorite Songs (2003)
• Diamond Collection (2004)
• Sabrosonas of the Memory (2005)
• 20 Years Are Nothing (2005)
• 20 Original Hits (2005)
• 2 Great Voices of Quisqueya the Beautiful (with Eddy Herrera) (2007)
• Collectible 10 (2007)
• A Singer, 3 Facets, a Great Artist (2008)
• My Favorites (2010)
• Face to Face (with Toño Rosario) (2013)
• Great Voices of the Century Collection

Famous Songs by Sergio Vargas

Sergio Vargas has sung many memorable songs throughout his career, both with groups and as a solo artist.

Songs with Los Hijos del Rey

• For Her
• My Pride
• A Man and a Woman
• Je l'aime à mourir (I Love Her to Death)
• Oh Mariana
• The Earth Quaked
• Let's Leave It
• If You Ever See Her

Songs with Dionis Fernández & Orquesta

• The Designers
• To the Rhythm of the Night

Songs as a Solo Artist

• Marola (written by Luis Días)
• The Earth Quaked
• The Vampires
• Girlfriend
• Too Bad for So Much Love
• Ragdoll (salsa)
• The Little Window
• Heart of Stone
• The Pill
• Tell Him
• Sorrows to the Wind
• Magic
• A Cigarette, the Rain and You
• Like a Bolero
• Women
• Neither You Nor I
• Bad Memory
• Oh My God
• What Have You Believed
• Lost Bullet
• Go and Tell
• What's Up Sweetheart
• It Is Going to Hurt You
• Last Night We Talked About Love
• Tell Me Where
• My Brunette

Popular Cover Songs

Sergio Vargas has also performed his own versions of many famous songs by other artists. These are called "covers."

• Je l'aime à mourir (originally by French singer Francis Cabrel)
• Bamboléo (originally by Spanish flamenco group Gipsy Kings)
• This Humble House (originally by Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos)
• Black Pearl (originally by Venezuelan singer Yordano)
• The Unconditional (originally by singer Luis Miguel)
• I try to forget you (originally by Nicaraguan Hernaldo Zúñiga)
• Bullfighter (with José Alberto "El Canario"; original song by Julio Iglesias and José Luis Rodríguez)
• Until You Forget Me (originally by Luis Miguel and written by Juan Luis Guerra)
• Oh! Woman (originally by Juan Luis Guerra)
• Scandal (originally by Javier Solís)
• Forgive Me, Forget It (with Gisselle; originally by Juan Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal)
• To Say Goodbye (with Gisselle; originally by José Feliciano and Ann Kelly)
• That Which You Gave Me (originally by Alejandro Sanz)
• El Negrito del Batey (originally by Alberto Beltrán)
• The Broken Cup (originally by José Feliciano)
• After You What? (originally by José Feliciano)
• Why Do I Have to Forget You? (originally by José Feliciano)
• Tell Me Heart (originally by Amaury Gutiérrez)
• What Once Was Will Not Be (originally by José José)
• I Live for Her (originally by Andrea Bocelli and Marta Sánchez]])
• To Live (composed and performed by Pablo Milanés)

Awards and Recognitions

Sergio Vargas has received many awards for his musical talent and contributions.

Sovereign Awards

In 2018, he received the Great Sovereign award at the Sovereign Awards ceremony. This is a very important award in the Dominican Republic. During his acceptance speech, he spoke about the importance of education for Dominican musicians.

He also won a Casandra Award (now called a Sovereign Award) in 1988 for his concert called "Sergio." This concert was named the "Show of the Year." Sergio Vargas also won a Casandra award for the best music video for his song "Las Vampires," written by Luis Días.

International Recognition

In 1989, CBS International offered him a record deal, which he accepted. This was a big step in his career.

The year 1991 was very successful for Sergio Vargas. He won another Casandra award for his international reach, performing in places like New York's Madison Square Garden. He sang in front of 20,000 people at the Merengue Carnival. He also filmed a special program for Sony Music International.

In 1993, he received a gold record, which means his music sold a lot of copies. He also performed at the famous Eight Street Festival in Miami.

Recent Achievements

In 2021, Vargas won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Merengue/Bachata Album. This shows his continued success and impact in the music world.

Today, Sergio Vargas is known as the "artist of the Homeland." His orchestra is one of the most active music groups. Many countries, like Colombia, recognize Sergio as a favorite merengue artist. His fame is so great that some hotels in Cali, Colombia, even have suites named after him.

Golden Congos Award

Sergio Vargas has also been honored at the Barranquilla Carnival Orchestra Festival in Colombia. He received the Golden Congos award:

Activism and Community Work

During the time Hipólito Mejía was president (2000–2004), Sergio Vargas decided to stop cutting his hair. This was a protest to encourage the government to fix the streets in his hometown, Villa Altagracia. To this day, Sergio still has long hair. For him, not cutting his hair is a symbol of being a Revolutionary and always remembering his roots. He continues to fight for Villa Altagracia to be recognized for what it is today.

See also

In Spanish: Sergio Vargas (cantante) para niños