Joseíto Mateo (born José Tamárez Mateo, 1920-2018) was an Afro-Dominican singer, composer, and legendary front-man known as “El Rey del Merengue,” an iconic figure of Dominican and Afro-Antillean popular music. Joseíto is one of the most celebrated and accomplished performers that the Dominican Republic has ever produced. He led a career that spanned over 80 years through various successful tours in the Caribbean, South America, and the United States. It is worth noting that today, Joseíto is seen as one of the most complete singers in Latin music with a diverse repertoire of boleros, guarachas, sones, guaguancós, bachatas, boogaloos among others. He also left his mark as a composer contributing classic Dominican merengues such as “Merenguero hasta la tambora” and “Aquí bailamos to.”

-Jhensen Ortiz