Portrait of Carlos Vives

Birthday profile

Carlos Vives

Carlos Vives, Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor

Born
August 7, 1961
Age in 2026
65
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1961

About Carlos Vives

Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. One of the best-selling Latin music artists ever, with over 20 million records sold worldwide, Vives is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the world as he has progressively helped vallenato gain popularity globally and for his interpretation of traditional music styles, such as cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro, with Latin pop, rock, reggaeton, dance-pop and tropical music. Through his career he was honored with two Grammy Awards and eighteen Latin Grammy Awards, being awarded with the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year in 2024. Vives has been honored with several accolades for his songwriting and producer contribution including the BMI President’s Award, the ASCAP Founders Award, and an induction into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame. In 2019, Vives was selected as number 45 on both the Greatest of All Time Latin Artists and Top Latin Artists 2010s by Billboard. He worked with some of the most influential artists in the Latin music scene, including Juan Luis Guerra, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Wisin, Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, Camilo, Sebastián Yatra, Mau y Ricky, Michel Teló, Gente de Zona, Carlos Rivera, Silvestre Dangond and Juanes. Vives is also a successful actor. His roles as the titular character in the soap opera Gallito Ramírez and as Rafael Escalona in Escalona, a story about the famous Colombian composer of the same name, are among his most important and well-remembered appearances. Carlos Vives was born on 7 August 1961 in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, where he spent his first 12 years of life. Clásicos de la Provincia, won the Billboard Latin Music Awards Best Album, introducing vallenato to both Colombia and the rest of the world.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Carlos Vives timeline

  1. Carlos Vives was born on 7 August 1961 in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, where he spent his first 12 years of life.
  2. Through his career he was honored with two Grammy Awards and eighteen Latin Grammy Awards, being awarded with the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year in 2024.

The world when Carlos Vives was born

Carlos Vives was born in 1961. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1961

  • #1 song"Tossin' and Turnin'" – Bobby Lewis
  • Top movieWest Side Story
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookCatch-22 – Joseph Heller

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentRoger Maris hits 61 home runs, breaking Babe Ruth's record
  • Top headlineYuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space
  • Technology milestoneYuri Gagarin becomes first human in space
  • Defining fadSurfing culture
  • Notable inventionValium
  • World population3.08 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJohn F. Kennedy
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population183.7M

1961 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Carlos Vives's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19612026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,500$435,000
Average income$7,600$67,500
Minimum wage$1.15$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population183.7M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.