Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Ramón Orlando (born Ramón Orlando Valoy) was the son of the famed merengue bandleader Cuco Valoy and grew up playing keyboards in his father's bands. His role within that legendary band helped get him jobs with a number of other groups in Santo Domingo, leading to his incredibly prolific recording career (more than 50 albums with various groups, more than a dozen with his own combos). His merengue orchestra, Ramon Orlando y la Orquesta Internacíonal, achieved success that mirrored Orlando's father's and issued a number of albums in the Dominican Republic and throughout the Spanish-speaking world. In early 2000, their greatest hits album was reissued by Platano Records, collecting the songs that had brought them fame and fortune. ~ Stacia Proefrock