Rafael Villanueva was a Dominican musician born in Santo Domingo in 1947 who contributed to the vibrant landscape of Dominican popular music during the second half of the twentieth century. His career as a performer placed him within the merengue and tropical traditions that defined Dominican popular culture from the 1970s onward. Working in the capital, he was part of the busy Santo Domingo music scene where bands, orchestras, and solo artists competed for audiences at clubs, public events, and on the radio.

Villanueva was active during a period when Dominican music was expanding its reach both nationally and internationally. His life was cut short when he passed away in 1995 at the age of forty-eight, leaving behind a legacy among those who followed Dominican popular music in its golden years.