La Sonora Dinamita is a Colombian and Mexican musical group that plays cumbia, a Tropical music genre from Colombia but popular throughout Latin America. As one of the first cumbia groups to reach international success, it is credited with helping to popularize the genre throughout Latin America and the world. The original orchestra was formed in 1960 in Cartagena de Indias under the direction of bandleader Lucho Argaín. It disbanded in 1963, but was re-formed in 1975 under the direction of Julio Ernesto Estrada "Fruko" Rincón, the artistic director of the Discos Fuentes record label. In 1981, the group released its first successful recordings. In 2002, the band's founder and frontman Lucho Argaín died, and the band continued with a new line-up. Today, their lead singer is Charlie Alvarez. While the group's lineup has changed, it has always featured a strong female vocalist to accompany its ten-piece brass instrumentation, including Margarita Vargas (la Diosa de La Cumbia), Mélida Yará (La India Meliyará), Vilma Díaz (La Diva de La Cumbia), Susana Velasquez, and other female vocalists and also several male vocalists.

Discography

Former vocalists and their recordings (hits)