Icon Week: Carlos Vives brings Vallenato to the masses and beyond

In honor of Hispanic Hertiage Month, it would be ludicrous not to mention one of the most influential Latin artists of this century, a homegrown product of Colombia.

Superstar Carlos Vives has paved the way for Latin music and most importantly, Vallenato music. He has always been true to his music and has successfully crossed over into different genres, such as rock and pop, whilst always keeping his Vallenato passion in the mix.

SEE ALSO: Carlos Vives, party of 200 at the World Cup

Thanks to him, Vallenato has gained importance and has been introduced to people all over the world.

Through the 14 albums Vives has released in his career, each one brings us a taste of the music genre we have all come to know and love.

Vallenato gets noticed

Vives can easily be recognized as one of the best Vallenato singers on the globe.

Vallenato is a popular type of music from Colombia that originally stems from the Caribbean area mixed with some African influence.

In 2006, the traditional rhythm was added as a category to the Latin Grammy Awards and the 7-time winner is one to thank for that.

Because of his innovative mentality, over the years Vives has done a great job of exposing the Vallenato sound with a mix of rock and pop that attracts a broad range of listeners leading to him becoming a major face of Colombian music around the world.

Carlos Vives becomes a landmark in Latin music

The 53-year-old was born and raised in the city of Santa Marta where he was constantly surrounded by Vallenato. At the age of 12 Carlos Vives moved to Bogota and got into both music and acting.

After many tries and fails in both acting and singing, his breakthrough moment appeared after 1991 when he landed a role in Escalona, a tv series based on the life of Vallenato songwriter Rafael Escalona.

Carlos Vives. (AP Photo/Jeffrey M. Boan)

Through his time on the series, Vives had the chance to sing the superstars hit songs leading to his interest in singing Vallenatos.

In 1993, Vives released Clasicos de la Provincia, an album that showed off Vallenato in a whole new way, incorporating new sounds that would change the Latin music world forever.

One of the singles on the album, “La Gota Fria,” is considered one of the best Vallenato singles ever created.

Some of his other famous albums include Dejame Entrar, La Tierra Del Olvido, and his most recent one, Mas Corazon Profundo.

SEE ALSO: A spontaneous hangout with Carlos Vives

Vives has been recently touring and his upcoming shows will take place in Colombia in both Barranquilla and his home town of Santa Marta.

He will also make an appearance in the U.S. with a stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 29 following with a Miami show on December 6.