eMusic

Start Your Trial

Juan Formell y los Van Van

Juan Formell y los Van Van

Rate it!

Avg: 5.0 (2 ratings)

  • Born: Feb. 08, 1942
  • Years Active: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s

Biography

One of the most influential Cuban musicians of the Castro era, Juan Formell formed Los Van Van in 1969 after developing Afro-Cuban meldings with the changui sound of Elio Reve's Orchestra. From there he did more to influence the sound of Cuban music more than anyone else during the 1970s and '80s. Born in Havana in 1942, Formell was taught both by his father and the bassist Orestes Urfe. By the age of 17 he was a member of a military band (playing bass as well); several years later, he moved to the nightclubs and began working on the new sound of Cuban dance, with Elio Reve as well as Elena Burke. After forming Los Van Van, Formell introduced the songo sound, which became one of the most popular forms during the 1970s. The birth of the 1980s brought a new sound, that of buey cansado, and unsurprisingly, the new form proved just as popular as songo. Los Van Van released several high-selling LPs and toured most of South and Central America, as well as Asia and the then-Soviet Union. Formell has recorded several solo albums, though Los Van Van appears on all of them.
— John Bush , All Music Guide

Related Artists Ancestors, Peers and Acolytes

Similar Artists:

Milly Quezada

Performed Songs By:

Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Cesar Pedroso Y Los Que Son, Son,

Playlists If you like This artist, check out these member playlists

Explore music recommended by this artist’s fans

“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

Recently Viewed

Back
Forward

© 1998-2009 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.

Legal or copyright question regarding Facebook, YouTube, Flickr or Wikipedia content on eMusic? Please email us.