Chichí Peralta, a percussionist, composer, and producer born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has developed his own style of “World Latin Music”, a form of merengue that incorporates jazz, bachata, African rhythms, and salve. He won the Latin GRAMMY for Best Merengue Album in 2001 and will receive a lifetime achievement award on November 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. It all began with a child’s tambora.
Chichí Peralta, a boy from Santo Domingo, and his tambora
At age four, Chichí Peralta discovered percussion in Santo Domingo. His father put on an Elvis record and asked him to play along with him on a tambora, the merengue drum. Pedro René Peralta Soto, his real name, saw this as his first lessons in the sounds of the world.
The André Family and Juan Luis Guerra: The School of Rhythm
The young musician then trained with the Familia André, a group led by Fernando Echavarría. He refers to the group as his school. The group plays “fusón,” a blend of merengue, plena, jazz, cumbia, and samba. There, the percussionist learned how to take music beyond his island. He then joined 440, the band led by Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra. He stayed with them for nine years, he says, and gained organizational skills and discipline there. He also claims to have created the rhythmic patterns used in “Bachata rosa” and “La bilirrubina,” two songs by Juan Luis Guerra.
"Pa' otro la'o," the merengue recorded in London
After 440, the musician launched his own project, Chichí Peralta y Son Familia. His first international album, *Pa’ otro la’o*, was released in 1997. Recording took place from November 1996 to March 1997 in Santo Domingo, Miami, and London. The track “Amor narcótico” brought the musician to prominence in Colombia. The London Symphony Orchestra performed on three tracks on the album, conducted by Antonio Molina. The Colombian press hailed this as a first for a Caribbean group. The Latin Recording Academy noted that two of the musician’s tracks were recorded with the orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.
The 2001 Latin GRAMMY Awards Announced After September 11
In 2001, Chichí Peralta’s album *De vuelta al barrio* won the Latin GRAMMY for Best Merengue Album. The ceremony, scheduled for September 11, 2001, in Los Angeles, was canceled following the attacks that day. The winners were announced later, outside of the gala. This victory therefore came without an awards ceremony.
World Latin Music from Cartagena to Japan
The musician says he launched his international career in Cartagena, Colombia, during the first Festival de Música del Caribe. Singer Joe Arroyo made a lasting impression on him there with his charisma. The musician has considered Colombia his home ever since he was a small child. His exposure to Colombia fuels what the musician calls “World Latin Music”, merengue and bachata that incorporate other rhythms. In Japan, he performed “Amor samurái,” the first track from the album *De aquel lao’ del río*, released in 2009. This bachata incorporates Japanese instruments. The musician claims to have created the first bachata of its kind, a journey chronicled in his documentary *Inside Japan*.
The Return to the Dominican Salvo
In 2023, Chichí Peralta returns to her roots with “Caminando por Quisqueya,” one of the names of the Dominican Republic. The salve is a popular Dominican folk song. Its instruments, the palo mayor, the alcahuete, and the respondón, accompany wake ceremonies, patron saint festivals, and pilgrimages to Our Lady of Altagracia. The song, recorded with salsa singer Enerolisa Núñez, was unveiled at the 28th Ibero-American Summit, held in the Dominican Republic. The musician points out that Dominicans have strong African roots and cites a figure of 80 percent. “La música me encontró y me eligió a mí primero,” he says, meaning “Music found me and chose me first.
Chichí Peralta Honored in Las Vegas in 2026
On November 9, 2026, Chichí Peralta will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award (Premio a la Excelencia Musical) during the 27th Latin GRAMMY Week in Las Vegas. The Latin Recording Academy announced this on June 30, 2026, along with Alaska, Francisco Céspedes, Lila Downs, and Daniela Mercury. The Academy also cited his contribution to the training of young musicians. In 2023, the musician announced a 14-track album, *Endorfina*, featuring artists from Senegal, Japan, and the Dominican Republic. After more than 40 years of rhythm, in which direction will the musician now take merengue?
Frequently Asked Questions About Chichí Peralta
Chichí Peralta, whose real name is Pedro René Peralta Soto, is a Dominican percussionist, composer, arranger, and producer born in Santo Domingo. He leads the group Son Familia, has a career spanning more than forty years, and won the Latin GRAMMY for Best Merengue Album in 2001.
“World Latin Music” is the name the musician gives to his fusion of merengue, bachata, son, jazz, and African, Brazilian, or Arabic rhythms. He adds Japanese instruments to “Amor samurái” and Dominican percussion to “Caminando por Quisqueya.”
He will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award (Premio a la Excelencia Musical) from the Latin Recording Academy on November 9, 2026, in Las Vegas, during the 27th Latin GRAMMY Week.
