Named Songwriter of the Year in 1994 by the performing arts organization Broadcast Music, Inc.
He recorded his first album, Something Special, in Guatemala in 1976.
He sang a duet with the ill-fated singer Selena, titled "Buenos Amigos."
He was born into a poor family in Usulutan, El Salvador.
He rose to fame during the same period as Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias.
