Los Ciegos Del Barrio

History

Los Ciegos Del Barrio actually started in 1997, though the members of the group had been performing together well before then. The name, "Los Ciegos Del Barrio," was adopted jokingly by Jaime Diaz, who is Machete's cousin, during their first ever rehearsal in the summer of 1997. Without having agreed on an alternative name, the group decided to let the name stick as an ice breaker.

In 1992, before becoming Los Ciegos Del Barrio, most of the current members (Alvin Suarez, his identical twin brother, Derek Christopher Suarez, Jimmy Fontanez and Machete spent some time playing Latin music in Russia with a non-profit organization called "Project Troubador". Project Troubador's founder and Artistic Director, Eliot Osborn came across the very talented group of friends during his teaching stint at the New York Institute for the Blind, and has since then helped develop the act. In 1996, also through Project Troubador, Machete and the Suarez twins embarked on a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic, playing for a wide variety of audiences of all ages. This trip is believed to have inspired Alvin Suarez to form Los Ciegos Del Barrio a year later.

In 1998, Los Ciegos released their first self-titled demo album on cassette tape, with Jaime Diaz and Mingo Rosario handling the lead vocals.

In 2000, they released their first full-length album, "No Lo Dude," which features their first underground hit "Dime Donde Estas," sung by Derek Christopher Suarez, their first song to get radio airplay, and first to hit #1 on the former MP3.com website.

In 2003, they released "Dominando," which features a bachata version of "I Will Survive," also sung by Derek Christopher Suarez, which remains their most downloaded song to date. This CD also features their first Merengue to get radio airplay, "Y Sigues Hablando," written and sung by Alvin Suarez, which to date is their most downloaded original, and is one of their most popular songs.

In 2006, again through Project Troubador, Los ciegos returned to the Dominican Republic for another two-week tour; playing in all types of venues such as parks, schools, marketplaces, night clubs, nursing homes, orphanages and theatres.

In 2007, another Los Ciegos del Barrio track, a bachata version of "Brown Eyed Girl," sung by Derek Christopher Suarez, appeared on "Sound insight: Volume 1," a compilation CD recorded and sponsored by the Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind (United States), which features different blind artists from around the US.

In December 2009, Los Ciegos released their third album "Por Que?...PorQue!" which features the track "Quitate del Medio," written and sung by Derek Christopher Suarez, their first recorded salsa using a brass section; and "Ciegueton," written and sung by the Suarez twins, their first reggaeton.

Los Ciegos were very unhappy with the overall production of "Por Que?...Porque!, as it was recorded in several recording studios, and took extremely long to complete. Despite this, the Ciegos received their first mainstream television exposure in late 2012, with Alvin Suarez's composition, "Loco," which is a clever fusion of rock and bachata. The song was featured on Univision's hit show, "Republica Deportiva," increasing Los Ciegos' national fan base. This was also their first #1 hit on Reverb Nation's latin charts nationwide.

In 2010, Los Ciegos Del Barrio recorded another single, "Buscando La Luz," written and sung by Derek Christopher Suarez, which is featured on a compilation CD put together by the Visionary Media Company, called "Songs About Blindness." This compilation also features a collection of blind artists from around the United States.

In 2011, through Project Troubador, Los Ciegos Del Barrio played a two-week tour of Havana, Cuba. They played in numerous cultural venues as part of the annual week-long "Fiera de Libros" (book Fair). Los Ciegos Del Barrio also made appearances on Cuban radio, television and newspapers. they were the first ever United States band to appear in the Book Fair's annual main event, which is a nationally televised concert held in La Plaza San Francisco in front of an estimated 11,000 people.

Some of these performances were selected as part of their fourth CD released in 2012, a live album called "Los Ciegos Del Barrio: Live in havana, Cuba." This album was also released on download cards and features a few tracks from some of the Cuban artists that the Ciegos befriended during their trip.

In the Fall of 2012, due to personal and creative differences, it was announced by Alvin Suarez that the band would finish any remaining commitments through 2013, then go on hiatus.

In March 2013, the Ciegos embarked on their second trip to Cuba, which turned out to be an overall disappointing experience, as many of the performances were in the same locations as in the 2011 trip. Current events also exacerbated matters, as due to the March 5th announcement of the death of Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, Cuba observed several National Days of Mourning in memory of their ally, cancelling all musical and entertainment events nationwide. An announcement of Chavez's death was made in the middle of the band's performance in a children's music school, putting an abrupt end to the show and the rest of the performance itinerary. The Ciegos continued performing until the late Summer of 2013 before officially going on hiatus. The hiatus was short-lived, however, as due to popular demand, the Ciegos decided to put their differences aside and resume performing in late 2014.

In the Spring of 2015, the Ciegos released a single, a salsa version of the 1982 hit, "Mama Used to Say" by Junior. The Ciegos' version was arranged by Machete and is sung by Jimmy Fontanez and Derek Christopher Suarez. The band's overall growth and ability is even more noticeable in this track, which exhibits a heavy Cuban influence.

Later that same year, another single, "Baby Boy," written and sung by Alvin Suarez, was released. Written and sung by Alvin Suarez, this song, like "Loco," is a fusion of rock and bachata.

Both of the 2015 releases have been highly acclaimed for their creativity, production, musical arrangements, vocal work and subject matter, and are also enjoying mainstream radio play in different parts of the United States. Los Ciegos Del Barrio is expected to release their next album in 2016.

Current members

Alvin Suarez - Band director, lead guitar, drums, percussion and vocals. (1997 to Present)

Derek Christopher Suarez - Bass, keyboards, percussion and vocals. (1999 to Present)

Machete - piano, Keyboards, accordion, flute, harmonica, percussion and vocals. (1997 to Present)

Jimmy Fontanez - Congas, percussion and vocals. (1997, 2007 to Present)

Past members

Domingo ("Mingo") Rosario - Lead Guitar (1997 to 2000)

Braulio Thorne - Percussion (1997 to 1999)

Henny Fernandez - Percussion (1999 to 2006)

Kelvin Perez - Percussion (2000 to 2006)

Angel Dueno - Timbales and percussion. (2009 to 2011)

Note: Rosario, Fernandez, Perez and Dueno are all fully sighted.

Other members

Jaime Diaz - Rhythm guitar, bass and vocals. (1997 to Present)

Andre Donatien - Lead Guitar (2005 to Present)

Tony Jimenez - Congas, Timbales. (2007 to Present)

Domingo Pascual - Timbales (2011 to Present)

Diaz, Donatien, Jimenez and Pascual are still used occasionally depending on need, type of show and availability.