Checo Acosta

Among the foremost figures in Colombian carnival music is Checo Acosta, whose work highlights folk styles indigenous to the nation's Caribbean coast, notably cumbia and vallenato. Releases on the Musical Productions label launched his recording career in the early 1990s, among them 11 Exitos Originales (1991), Checo 91 (1991), and Con Sabor y Sentimiento (1993). A contract signed with Sony International in the mid-1990s produced Solo Para Ti (1995), yet the association with the major label ended quickly. A lasting base at the Colombian label FM Discos followed, yielding albums such as Esta de Moda (1996), Positiv+ (2000), and Checazos de Carnaval, Vol. 3 (2007), the last of which received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album in 2007.