Two Dominican artists will be among the first from Latin America inducted into the Salón Internacional de la Fama de la Música Latina (The Latin Music Hall of Fame). Elected were Juan de Dios ("Johnny") Ventura and Johnny Pacheco. Ventura, whose name is synomynous with merengue and who is known affectionately as "The Father of Merengue," is currently the mayor of Santo Domingo. His 100th single is due out soon. Pacheco, born in the Dominican Republic but raised in New York, was one of the leaders of the salsa movement of the 1970s as part of the Fania All Stars. Other artists elected with the two Johnny’s include Celia Cruz and Tito Puente.
