La Sonora Dinamita

La Sonora Dinamita is a Colombian cumbia band that was originally formed in Cartagena de Indias in 1960. In addition to Lucho Argain, La Sonora Dinamita has had a number of other notable members, including vocalists Armando Hernández, Rodolfo Aicardi, John Jairo "Sorullo," Margarita "La Diosa de la Cumbia" Vargas, and Mélida "La India Meliyará" Yara. The group was founded by singer and bandleader Lucho Argain, who is credited with bringing cumbia music to the mainstream, not only in Colombia but also in the rest of Latin America. Originally named Sonora Buscapié, La Sonora Dinamita released three well-received albums—Ritmo (1960), Dinamita (1962), and Fiesta en el Caribe (1963)—before disbanding for the first time in 1963. Some of their biggest hits from this era include "Yo la Vi," "Cola y Hocico," and "La Negra Miguelina." In 1977, by request of the Discos Fuentes label, Lucho Argain put the group back together and spent the following years scoring hit after hit with songs like "Del Montón," "Negro Maluco," and "Se Me Perdió la Cadenita" from their albums La Explosiva (1977) and El Meneíto (1978). Throughout the 80s, the group reached the peak of its popularity through the hit singles "Maruja," "Las Velas Encendidas," "Mi Cucú," and "De Nuevo el Tao Tao," and toured all over Europe and the US. During this time, they also cultivated a substantial following in Mexico (as evidenced by the Sinaloa tribute "La Pochita") and earned their first platinum record thanks to their 1988 LP, El Africano. Over the next few decades, La Sonora Dinamita continued to record and perform all over the world, further refining their sound on releases such as Chispeante (1993), Llegó la Reina de la Cumbia (1997), A mover el Cu (2003), and Cumbia Universal (2005). Even though bandleader Lucho Argain passed away in 2002, the group has been led first by Percussionist Pedro Manuel Osorio and later by Carlos Saúl Álvarez. In 2016, La Sonora Dinamita earned a Grammy nomination for Tropical Album of the Year for their album Juntos por la Sonora, which included cameos by Chuy Lizarraga ("Mi Cucú"), Los Primos MX ("Mil Horas"), and Kika Edgar ("Qué Bello").

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