Dioris Valladares

CUNY Dominican Studies Institute

Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College, CUNY

1916-2001

Edward De Jesús, Principal Investigator / Curator

Ruth Lizardi, Coordinator / Assistant Curator

Dr. Ramona Hernández, Director, CUNY DSI & Professor of Sociology, The City College of New York

Anthony Stevens-Acevedo, Assistant Director

Idilio Gracia Peña, Chief Archivist

Sarah Aponte, Chief Librarian

Jessy J. Pérez, Archivist

Jhensen Ortiz, Assistant Librarian

Groana G. Meléndez, Photography Editor

Norma Guzmán and Donald Mounts, Researchers

Dr. Tim Williams, Senior Editor

Mariel Acosta, Katie Duarte, Shaday Fermín, and Anthony Stevens-Acevedo, Editors

John P. Bimbiras, Edward De Jesús, Jhensen Ortiz, Jessy J. Pérez, Sophia Monegro and Natalie A. Studt, Biography Text Writers

Isabelia Herrera, Grant Writer

Javier Pichardo, Graphic Artist

Sponsor: CUNY Dominican Studies Institute

Sponsor: Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York

Sponsor: Latino Americans: 500 Years - National Endowment for the Humanities

Sponsor: American Library Association

Sponsor: New York City Council

Sponsor: Smithsonian Latino Center

Sponsor: Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro)

Sponsor: The Documentary Forum - CCNY Center for Film, Journalism, and Interactive Media

Sponsor: Dominican Students Association

24" x 36" panel

English

Dioris Valladares was born on August 14, 1916, in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. On December 8, 1936, he sailed from Ciudad Trujillo (Santo Domingo) to New York on the steamship *Coamo* with his sister, Milagro to join their mother, two brothers, and two sisters, who were all living in East Harlem, New York. Working as a musician, he began touring the U.S. with various bands in 1939. During World War II, Valladares enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army at Fort Jay on Governor's Island on July 30, 1942. He entered active duty on August 13, 1942 and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant on November 28, 1945.

After the war, Valladares became a famous merengue singer, bandleader, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist who made several hit records for Arsonia Records in the 1950s and 60s. He rose to prominence in New York City around 1950, singing merengues and playing the *güira* with bandleader Juanito Sanabria in the Club Caborrojeño. His nightclub success caught the attention of Arsonia Records executive, Rafael Pérez, who, assembled the seven-piece *Conjunto Tipico Cibaeno* with Ángel Viloria as an accordion player and bandleader. Together, Valladares and Viloria recorded many classic merengue albums which were sold throughout the United States, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the rest of Latin America. After the band split up, both musicians continued to have successful solo careers. Eventually, Valladares moved to Port Jefferson Station in Long Island to raise his family. He passed away on July 26, 2001. He was buried in Calverton national Cemetery.