Diómedes Núñez Guzmán (1967–2025) was a Dominican merengue singer and trumpeter who moved through several defining orchestras before founding and leading «El Grupo Mío» for more than three decades. His breakthrough came with «Balsié», the 1987 recording that brought him from chorus work to the front line and became one of his signature merengues.

Early years and formation

He was born on 3 February 1967 in Santa Cruz de Mao, Valverde. Drawn to the trumpet, he studied the instrument and harmony at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Santo Domingo and played with its youth philharmonic. In his mid-teens he joined «Orquesta Liberación» led by Alex Bueno as a trumpeter. Bienvenido Rodríguez, owner of «Karen Records», encouraged him to sing; after initial reluctance, Núñez agreed to try. An early recording was «Las estrellas brillarán», a Ramón Torres bachata recast as merengue.

Los Hijos del Rey and «Balsié»

In 1986 Núñez joined Los Hijos del Rey during the group’s rebuilding around Sergio Vargas. He initially sang chorus. At promoter Ramón Pareja’s suggestion, he recorded «Balsié», written by Mario Díaz, with «La Muñeca» on the other side. Issued in 1987 under the billing «Diómedes y Los Hijos del Rey», the single established him as a lead singer. By his account, he later left after asking manager Rafael “Cholo” Brenes for better pay and being refused.

El Equipo and the Orquesta Internacional

Producer Luisín Martí brought Núñez to Dioni Fernández y El Equipo. The group’s 1988 «Karen Records» album credits him as a vocalist, including lead performances on «Pum, pum del amor» and «Lo lloré». In 1989 Ramón Orlando recruited him for «Orquesta Internacional». On the 1990 album «Juntos», Núñez sang five tracks under the nickname “Bum Bum”. Audiences kept asking for songs from his earlier stops; he joked that one day he would form “el grupo mío.”

El Grupo Mío

On 31 August 1993, he debuted his own orchestra, «El Grupo Mío», at Santo Domingo’s Hotel Jaragua, with Luisín Martí as manager. The debut album «Chicos a Nivel» featured «El Ñoño», a composition by Núñez, and «Esto se encendió», which brought the band wide attention and became associated with the «Carnaval de La Vega». Later releases included «Salvaje con Bachata» (1995) and «El Bum Bum del Merengue» (1996), whose song «Esto es pa’ hombre» accompanied Leonel Fernández’s 1996 presidential campaign. The group’s repertoire also included «Una chica bien» and «Aguilucho desde chiquitito», which Núñez wrote and arranged for the Águilas Cibaeñas baseball team. In 2003 the group released «La Loca», whose title song was written by Mártires de León and R. Brito.

Final years

In 2024 Núñez began dialysis after being diagnosed with a serious kidney condition linked in contemporary reporting to previously undetected hypertension. After a period of improvement, he recorded «Un día especial», written and arranged by the group’s tambora player known as “El Abuelo”. Núñez died in Santo Domingo on 9 March 2025, aged 58, and was buried in Mao.

Legacy

Núñez’s career connected the Conservatorio Nacional and «Karen Records»’ orchestra network with the lasting popularity of his own band. «Balsié» marked his arrival as a lead vocalist, while «Esto se encendió» and «Aguilucho desde chiquitito» carried «El Grupo Mío» into carnival and baseball culture. He remained the orchestra’s founder and frontman across more than thirty years of merengue performance and recording.