Bonny Cepeda

Bonny Cepeda, born Fernando Antonio Cruz Paz, earned the distinction of becoming the first merengue artist nominated for a Grammy award back in 1985 and stands among the Dominican Republic’s leading dance music figures. Previously affiliated with Wilfredo Vargas’ orchestra, he has directed several ensembles, among them Los Hijos del Rey (Children of the Sun), Bonny Con Keaton, and Bonny Cepeda & His Orquestra. Beyond issuing more than 30 albums under his own name, Cepeda has handled production for recordings by Fernando Villanova, Willie Berrios, El Grupo Chantelle, Grupo Chevi, Proyecto Punto, Sergio Vargas, Rikarena, and Llave Maestra. The son of vocalist Anan Cepeda and uncle of multi-instrumentalist Richard Cepeda, he first took up piano studies as a youngster at the local Villa Consuelo music school and later pursued further training at the National Conservatory in Santo Domingo.