Johnny Pacheco

Johnny Pacheco
Background information
Birth name	Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco
Born	(1935-03-25)25 March 1935 Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Origin	New York City
Died	15 February 2021(2021-02-15) (aged 85) Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Son guaracha cha-cha-chá pachanga salsa merengue
Occupation(s)	Musician arranger composer producer
Instrument(s)	Flute conga bongo güiro saxophone accordion
Years active	1955–2021
Labels	Alegre Fania
Formerly of	Charlie Palmieri Fania All-Stars Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez

Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021),^[1] known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New York salsa scene in the 1960s and 1970s as the founder and musical director of Fania Records.^[2]

Pacheco was one of the leading exponents of pachanga, a blend of Cuban rhythms and Dominican merengue in the late 1950s. He popularized the use of the term "salsa" and established the Fania All-Stars to showcase the leading artists of the genre,^[3] which propelled him to worldwide fame and had an important role in the evolution of Latin music.^[4]

Pacheco was a nine-time Grammy nominee and was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Recording Academy in 2005.