Johnny Pacheco

Johnny Pacheco, born March 25, 1935 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic is a producer, musician, bandleader, and one of the most influential figures in salsa music. Pacheco inherited his passion for music from his father, Rafael Azarias Pacheco, who was the bandleader and clarinetist of the “Santa Cecilia Orchestra”. At the age of 11, his parents moved to New York City in the late 1940s from his native Dominican Republic, where he continued polishing his musical skills. Pacheco learned to play accordion, violin, saxophone and clarinet. He attended the Juilliard School of Music where he studied percussion. He performed and recorded with the most important American artists.