Los Jóvenes del Amargue was a Dominican child and teenage bachata group formed in Santiago in 1994, best known today as the group that launched the career of El Chaval de la Bachata.

«Los Infantiles del Amargue»

The group began under the name Los Infantiles del Amargue, led by Juan Tavárez with his eight-year-old son Joel on guitar; they recruited the thirteen-year-old Linar Espinal as lead singer and second guitar. Their debut, «Si te vas», was recorded for the producer Nepo Núñez and included «Si te vas», «No me debes» and «Te fuiste», followed the same year by «Amor de mis sueños… ahora sí más mambo».

A change of name

As its members grew older, the group became Los Jóvenes del Amargue around 1996, continuing to record for Núñez’s label with songs including «No te alejes corazón», «Te quiero te adoro» and «Amor prefiero morir».

The end of an era

In 1997, after three years fronting the group, Espinal left to record under his own name, El Chaval de la Bachata, taking with him the sound and following the group had built.

Legacy

Los Jóvenes del Amargue is remembered less for a catalogue of its own than for what came out of it: a teenage bachata group that gave one of the genre’s enduring names his start, in keeping with a Dominican tradition of child and teen ensembles as a training ground for future stars.