Geovanny Francisco Polanco was born in the city of Nagua, República Dominicana, on November 2, 1974. At the age of 15, living in the Arroyo al Medio Arriba barrio of Nagua, Polanco felt a strong pull to musical expression. His father had long loved to play the accordion, but gave it up after marrying, his wife not a fan of popular Dominican music. Polanco's passion for the folk styles of his country brought the instrument back out of the closet and into his family's daily life. Primarily self taught, Polanco immersed himself in the pursuit of instrumental excellence, mastering styles like the cantors, latas, pito de penca de coco, etc. Having completed his primary studies by the age of 17, Polanco was sent by his father to Santiago. The metropolitan environment would serve to challenge and to hone Polanco's instrumental skill and creativity. Financial need soon encouraged Polanco to become a bandleader, organizing groups to perform around Santiago. Though none of these groups gained significant fame or financial success, the experience gained would prove invaluable in the months and years to come. At the age of 24, Polanco crossed paths with admired recording artist Aureliano Guzmán . Impressed with his playing and compositional abilities, Guzman suggested that the two of them collaborate, signifying a big break for the still unknown Polanco. Geovanny Polanco y Su Mambo Swing were born. Polanco and his group first recorded for Sony International in 2002 before switching to Dominican powerhouse label J&N Records. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.