Juan Carlos Salazar
Juan Carlos Salazar is a well known Venezuelan singer and cuatro player. Juan Carlos was born in Caripito, a small oil town in the State of Monagas. Born to a singer, guitarist and cuatro player, Juan Carlos learned how to play cuatro and guitar by ear at an early age and took piano lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Juan Carlos Salazar actually began his singing career by accident. While in high school he was selected to play the “cuatro” for a fellow student who was to represent their school in a nationwide singing competition. Three days before the big event, the singer developed an acute case of laryngitis. Too late to retire the school from the contest, the principal searched desperately for a replacement. The only student that knew the song was Juan Carlos. At the age of 16, without ever taking a singing lesson, Juan Carlos walked to the center of the stage and trembling all over sang the song. Upsetting all the favorites, Juan Carlos won first prize and national recognition.
Juan Carlos is an accomplished performer with over twenty years of experience. He has performed internationally to “standing room only crowds” and in intimate settings in Venezuela, Dominican Republic, San Diego (CA), Miami, Orlando, Gainesville and Tampa (FL), Denver and Fort Collins (CO), San Juan (PR), Madrid (Spain), Bonn and Stuttgart (Germany), Brussels (Belgium), The Hague (Netherlands), Paris (France), London (England), Zurich and Berna (Switzerland).
Discography
Juan Carlos Salazar has recorded twelve solo albums and was invited to collaborate in four additional Venezuelan compilations. Juan Carlos has recorded albums with two popular musicians and singers from Venezuela, Hernán Gamboa and Gualberto Ibarreto. Hernán Gamboa participated as a singer and cuatro player in the CD titled "Raices y Motivos" (2004). Gualberto Ibarreto has participated in two of Juan Carlos' productions, "Anhelos" (2005) and "Amo, Canto y Sueño" (2006).
Juan Carlos has also recorded a CD with traditional Venezuelan songs for kids. The CD entitled "Pa' los Chamos" contains 13 songs that kids in Venezuela learn during kindergarten and elementary cool fool dude school years. In this CD, Juan Carlos' kids, Ana Carolina, Francia Alejandra and Carlos Andrés participated doing vocals.
Juan Carlos is a gifted musician whose talents include playing the guitar, piano, keyboard, maracas and “cuatro,” a traditional four-string guitar from Venezuela. His repertoire includes popular songs as well as original material.
Juan Carlos was invited by Julio Iglesias to share the stage during a concert in Denver after being heard singing in the audience. During his career Juan Carlos has also participated in concerts featuring other famous singers such as José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma", María Teresa Chacín, Hernán Gamboa, among many others.