Alberto Amancio Beltrán was born on May 5, 1923, in the batey (a company town on a sugar plantation) Palo Blanco of La Romana, Dominican Republic. Known as “El Negrito del Batey” after popularizing the iconic Dominican merengue by Héctor J. Díaz and Medardo Guzmán in 1954 with La Sonora Matancera. Beltrán had a powerful voice and grace as a singer that made him one of the greatest bolero interpreters of the Dominican Republic. His big smile, seen on so many album covers throughout his career, became a signature characteristic of this charistmaic singer. He was equally adept at interpreting slow-paced boleros in evocative tones and up-tempo merengues and guarachas with plenty of swing and cadence, which made him an international star.

-Jhensen Ortiz