Ricardo Arjona

Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales, (born 19 January 1964, Jocotenango, Guatemala), known as Ricardo Arjona (pronounced /aɾ'xona/), is a popular Guatemalan singer. He has won two Grammy Awards from three nominations: The 2007 Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album and the 2006 Latin Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Album, both for his album Adentro, (2005).

History

Ricardo was born in the village of Jocotenango, near Antigua, Guatemala to Ricardo Arjona Moscoso and Noemí Morales de Arjona. When he was three years of age he and his family moved to Guatemala City.

He spent some time as a teacher at a rural primary school, where he reputedly said he spent three hours giving lessons and the rest of the day playing football. This earned him a visit from a Ministry of Education representative, who was sent to evaluate the level of education amongst Ricardo Arjona's pupils. The representative found that the students' level of education was actually above average.

Ricardo Arjona was a talented basketball player, and he played for the team Leones de Marte. He also toured Central America as a member of the Selección de básquetbol de Guatemala; until recently he held the record for the most points scored in a single game by a Guatemalan player.

Although he initially enrolled in architecture and engineering subjects, he eventually graduated with a degree from the School of Communication Sciences at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC).

At USAC there is a library hall that bears his name. There is also a street named for him in his birthplace, Jocotenango, Guatemala.