Valledupar, Columbia

January 16, 1963

Before becoming famous performing his own music, Colombian singer/songwriter Ivan Ovalle worked behind the scenes and wrote hits for some of vallenato's biggest stars. Diómedes Díaz, Jorge Oñate, Beto Zabaleta, Rafael Orozco, and many others had hits with his music before Ovalle began performing his own songs in 1991. When the Mexican group Los Traileros del Norte covered his song "Ramiro de Leon" in the late '90s it was considered a big step in promoting the vallenato sound worldwide. When the genre was first added to the Latin Grammys in 2006, Ovalle's Veinte Años Después was honored with a nomination for Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album. ~ David Jeffries