Dominican singer El Chaval — often referred to as El Chaval de la Bachata — was an active recording artist for over a decade before breaking into the Latin music mainstream in 2007. Born Linar Espinal on April 12, 1978, in Juncalito Jánico, Dominican Republic, he moved with his family to the city of Santiago in 1985. He began his singing career as a teenager in 1993 with the album Si Te Vas, credited to El Chaval & Los Infantiles del Amargue; another early album with the same group, Amor de Mis Sueños... Ahora Si Mas Mambo, followed in 1994. After a few years away from the marketplace, El Chaval returned to recording with a series of increasingly mature albums, including Sentimiento Unico (1997), Enfermo de Amor (1998), Para Toda la Vida (1999), Para Siempre (2000), Volvere (2002), Ayer y Hoy (2003), Devuelveme Todo (2004), No Te Llamo Más (2005), ¡En Vivo! (2007), and Ya Me Cansé (2007). The latter — like many of these albums, released by Mas Music — was his breakthrough, featuring the popular song "Dónde Están Mis Amigos." A greatest-hits collection, Su Mejors Exitos (2007), was compiled and released by Mas Music not long thereafter. ~ Jason Birchmeier
