Lenny Santos
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Lenny Santos | |
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Background information | |
Also known as |
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Born | Bronx, New York , U.S. | October 24, 1979
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Guitar |
Years active | 1994–present |
Labels |
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Lenny Santos a.k.a. Len Melody (born October 24, 1979) is an American guitarist, composer, producer and entrepreneur. He rose to global fame as the co-founder of the bachata group Aventura where he served as producer, lead guitarist, vocalist, composer and musical director. Lenny is responsible for the group's distinctive sound. He is the one who dared to experiment with bachata, adding fusions of R&B, hip hop and pop. He added electric guitars and effects like tremolo, phaser and wah.[1] Lenny is considered the pioneer and creator of urban bachata, and is one of the most sought out music producers in the Latin music industry to this day. Aside from being a musician and producer, he owns multiple businesses such as restaurants and lounges in the New York City area.
Early life
Santos was born in 1979 in The Bronx, New York City, to Dominican parents. He grew up in the South Bronx neighborhood in the Bronx. He has six brothers. He initially wanted to play bass after seeing his brother Max play bass, but he chose guitar instead. His inspiration to play guitar was Antony Santos, saying that he copied him exactly and then added more stuff.[1]
Career
Lenny has worked for many Latin artists. Some of Lenny's credits as producer, guitarist and composer include
Aventura
Lenny, alongside his brother Max and his friends Anthony and Henry formed the group Los Tinellers in 1995, releasing a studio album which did not do well. They then became Aventura in 1999. Lenny was the lead guitarist, producer, musical arranger, musical director and backup singer. Aventura released their debut album in 1999 breaking the rules of bachata music. He added fusions of R&B and Hip Hop. He added electric guitars and added guitar effects such as tremolo, distortion, harmonizer, flanger, phaser and wah which were never used or heard of in bachata. In 2002, the song, "Obsesión" achieved huge success in many countries, topping many international charts like France, Germany and Italy. Aventura's sound broke into the mainstream thanks to Lenny and the group helped bring bachata to international popularity. He produced Ella y Yo (feat. Don Omar) fusing reggaeton with bachata and merengue elements. This sound was then sought out by reggaeton producers everywhere, making him one of the pioneers of adding bachata elements into reggaeton. Lenny produced every single Aventura album, with Romeo co-producing the last three albums.
Elvis Martinez
Lenny produced, recorded and arranged Elvis Martinez debut album Todo Se Paga (1998) as well as his sophomore album Directo Al Corazon (1999) alongside his brother Max. He did this while working on Aventura's debut album. Lenny created most of the musical arrangements and recorded the guitar tracks. Max recorded the bass tracks. Lenny even showed Elvis how to play guitar.[5]
Vena and DNA Latin Group
He and his brother Max formed a bachata group called D'Element. As D'Element, they have released one song called "You & Me".
Discography
Studio albums
- Lenny Santos... Aventurero (2012)
References
- ^ a b Mark C. Davis (15 November 2017). "Aventura's Lenny Santos". Guitar Player. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019.
- ^ "Lenny Santos | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
- ^ "KHEA & Lenny Santos Unite for 'Ayer Me Llamo Mi Ex' Song". Remezcla. 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
- ^ "Karol G Performs Heartfelt 'El Barco,' Gushes Over Backstreet Boys & More On 'Tonight Show'". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ Joseph Caceres (26 August 2018). "LA OTRA CAMPANA".
- Allmusic. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ Quintana, Carlos (29 January 2013). "Top Bachata Songs of 2012".