Juan Luis Guerra Seijas, born on the 7th June 1957, is a Dominican singer, songwriter and producer, who became popular for his hit classic “Ojala Que Llueva Café”. He is also recognized because of the fusion of styles in his music.
So how much is Guerra’s net worth? As of mid 2016, it is reported by authoritative sources to be $45 million, acquired from his years in music now spanning over 30 years, gaining popularity not just in Latin America but in other parts of the globe.
Juan Luis Guerra Net Worth $45 million
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Guerra was not into pursuing music when he was growing up. He had originally taken up philosophy and literature at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, but after teaching himself basic guitar playing, he enrolled at El Conservatorio Nacional de Musica de Santo Domingo to further study guitar and music theory. He moved to the United States to attend the renowned Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts and later obtained his diploma in jazz composition.
After Guerra’s years in the US, he missed his home and decided to return to the Dominican Republic, and formed his band Juan Luis Guerra y 440 – composed of Guerra, Maridalia Hernandez, Roger Zayas-Barzan and Mariela Mercado – and began making music. The group became popular in the Dominican Republic as Cuatro Cuarenta, referring to the standard tuning A440, suggested by Guerra’s brother.
In 1984, Guerra and the 440 released their first album Soplando, composed of mostly jazz sounds that he learned in Berklee. The album received little success, but it gave the band a start in the music industry. That same year, Guerra moved to Karen Records, and started experimenting in various kinds of styles, which became evident in the band’s new albums Mundanza y Acarreo and Mientras Mas Lo Pienso … Tu. The two consecutive albums gained more recognition compared to their first, and slowly their popularity and net worth increased.
In 1988, Guerra and the 440 lost its vocalist Maridalia Hernandez in pursuit of a career in Europe, so Guerra then stepped up and became the bands new vocalist. That same year they released their new album Ojala Que Llueva Café, and it became one of their biggest albums and most memorable work to date. The success of the album saw it not only topping music charts, but it also opened doors internationally for the band.
The following album Bachata Rosa released in 1990 succeeded as well, even giving Guerra his first Grammy Award. The album’s popularity also led to a tour in his homeland, Latin America, Europe and USA, giving Guerra worldwide recognition and tremendously increased his net worth.
Guerra continued to release worldwide hits and successful albums. Aside from recording music, touring around the globe with various artists like U2 and Rolling Stone also helped Guerra maintain his wealth. He is also a well known songwriter, working alongside other artists like Taty Salas, Luis Miguel, Emmanuel and Gilberto Santa Rosa.
In his personal life, Juan Luis has been married to Nora Vega since 1984. Aside from music, Guerra is also a well-known philanthropist, becoming a Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO. He is also known to create music that gives light to the situation of the poor in Latin America.
