Los Toros Band

Dominican singer Héctor Acosta fronted Los Toros Band, a standout merengue act that dominated the 1990s and early 2000s before he launched his own career in 2006. The ensemble formed in Santo Domingo under producers Gerardo Díaz, known as “El Toro,” and Juan Pablo Díaz. In 1989 the Díaz brothers spotted Acosta—then performing with the Bonao group Los Gentiles under the nickname “El Torito”—and brought him in as lead vocalist. Their first full-length release, Se Soltaron los Toros (1991), scored strongly within merengue circles and paved the way for follow-ups such as De Fiesta (1991), A Bailar (1992), Caliente (1994), and Formidables (1994). Arranger Henry Hierro joined Acosta, Indira Rubiera, and Mayra Bello on those early recordings. By the middle of the decade the band ranked among the genre’s elite acts, issuing proper albums like Románticamente (1995), El Mambo del Toro (1996), and Raices (1997) alongside the 1997 compilation Estelares de los Toros Band. A major shift occurred near the decade’s close when Olvis García and Luis José Alcequiez came aboard for Pasito Lento (1998), ¡Y No Hay Problema! (1999), and Toromanía (2000). Robin Joel Vasquez later completed the vocal lineup on Pa' la Calle (2001), Indetenibles (2003), and En Vivo 2004 (2004). Growing dissatisfaction prompted Acosta to exit in the mid-2000s; his solo debut Sigo Siendo Yo (2006) proved immediately successful, and the next effort, Mitad/Mitad (2008), yielded an even bigger triumph with the single “Sin Perdón.”