Johnny Pacheco
Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021),[1] known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New York salsa scene in the 1960s and 1970s as the founder and musical director of Fania Records.[2]
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pacheco and the second or maternal family name is Knipping.
Johnny Pacheco
Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco
25 March 1935
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
15 February 2021 (aged 85)
Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
1955–2021
Pacheco was one of the leading exponents of pachanga, a blend of Cuban rhythms and Dominican merengue in the late 1950s. He popularized the use of the term "salsa" and established the Fania All-Stars to showcase the leading artists of the genre,[3] which propelled him to worldwide fame and had an important role in the evolution of Latin music.[4]
Pacheco was a nine-time Grammy nominee and was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Recording Academy in 2005.
Early life and family[edit]
Juan Pablo Pacheco Knipping was born on 25 March 1935 in Santiago de los Caballeros, a city in the Dominican Republic.[5] He inherited his passion for music from his father, Rafael Azarías Pacheco, who was the leader and clarinetist of the Orquesta Santa Cecilia. One of the leading Dominican big bands of the 1930s, the Orquesta was the first to record Luis Alberti's merengue "Compadre Pedro Juan". Rafael was the grandson of a Spanish soldier who arrived during the Spanish reannexation of Santo Domingo.[6] His mother, Octavia Knipping Rochet, was the granddaughter of a French colonist, and the great-granddaughter of a German merchant who was married to a Dominican woman born to Spanish colonists.[7][8]
Pacheco and his family left the Dominican Republic for New York City when he was eleven years old. As a child, he learned to play several instruments including accordion, violin, flute, saxophone and clarinet.[9] He later attended Brooklyn Technical High School, majoring in electrical engineering. He worked in this field for a time, but eventually quit due to low salary levels.[10] He studied percussion at the Juilliard School. From his first marriage, Pacheco had two daughters, Norma and Joanne. From his second marriage, Pacheco had two sons, Philip and Elis, who also excelled in the music business. Pacheco married his long time girlfriend Cuqui in 1984, and they remained together until his passing.[11]
Legacy[edit]
Pacheco recorded and composed over 150 songs. Among them are "Mi Gente", "La Dicha Mia", "Quítate Tú" (Pa’ Ponerme Yo), "Acuyuye," "El Rey de la Puntualidad," Tito Puente's "El Número Cien," and Celia Cruz's Celia y Tito. Pacheco has also been an inspiration to the younger generations. For example, rap artist Mangu invited him to collaborate on an album entitled Calle Luna y Calle Sol; Pacheco arranged the album, sang in the chorus, and played the flute. Pacheco also produced music for feature films. The first film he worked on was the 1972 documentary Our Latin Thing; this was also the first film about the influence of salsa on Latino culture in New York City. His second film Salsa released in 1974. In the 1980s, he composed the scores for Mondo New York and Something Wild. The latter was a collaboration with David Byrne, the lead singer of the group Talking Heads.[20] Several tracks that he arranged, produced, and/or performed were included on the soundtrack of the 1992 Warner Brothers film, The Mambo Kings.[21]
Pacheco performed in the 1988 AIDS benefit concert "Concierto Por La Vida", held at Avery Fisher Hall. He also collaborated with the Hispanic Federation Relief Fund to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Georges.[22] Pacheco established the Johnny Pacheco Scholarship Fund in 1994 for college students in the New York metropolitan area.[23]
The Johnny Pacheco Latin Music and Jazz Festival is an annual event that is held in mid-November at Lehman College.[24][25][26]
Awards and recognition[edit]
Pacheco earned nine Grammy nominations and ten gold records.[20] His contributions to Latin Music have been recognized throughout his career.
In 1996, the then-President of the Dominican Republic, Joaquín Balaguer, conferred the prestigious Presidential Medal of Honor on Pacheco. A year later, Pacheco was the recipient of the Bobby Capó Lifetime Achievement Award, awarded by New York Governor George Pataki. In addition, Pacheco received the First International Dominican Artist Award at the Casandra Awards. In June 1996, Johnny Pacheco became the first Latin music producer to receive the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) Governor's Award.[27]
In 1998, Pacheco was among the first group of artists inducted into International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF). The ILMHF awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.[28]
In 2004, Pacheco was awarded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, ASCAP Silver Pen Award.[29]
On 5 June 2005, Pacheco was honored by Union City, New Jersey with a star on the Walk of Fame at Union City's Celia Cruz Park.[30]
In 2005, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences awarded Johnny Pacheco with its Lifetime Achievement Award at that years Latin Grammys.[31]
In 2007, Pacheco was portrayed by Nelson Vasquez in the movie El Cantante, starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez.[32]
On 24 March 2009, Pacheco was awarded "El Soberano", the highest distinction given by the Association of Art Columnists of the Dominican Republic.[33]
In August 2020, Johnny Pacheco's composition "Celia y Tito" by Tito Puente and Celia Cruz was featured in the 4th-season finale of the NBC TV network program "World of Dance" which is produced and judged by international film and recording star Jennifer Lopez.[34]
Death[edit]
A resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey, Pacheco died at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck on 15 February 2021, aged 85, after being admitted to the hospital with pneumonia-related complications.[35]