La Mona Jiménez

Juan Carlos Jiménez Rufino (born 11 January 1951), known as La Mona Jiménez, is a cuarteto singer and songwriter, heralded as one of the most prominent performers of the genre.

Early life Juan Carlos Jiménez Rufino was born on 11 January 1951 in Córdoba, Argentina. He is of Afro-Argentine descent. He earned the nickname La Mona ("the she-monkey") from his parents, who noted his resemblance to Cheeta the Chimpanzee from the Tarzan TV series.

Musical career He started singing with Cuarteto Berna when he was 15 years old after winning a contest among 40 other singers. With this group he recorded five albums.

His first hit was La flaca Marta ("Skinny Marta") from the album Para toda América ("For All America"), released in 1984. His success allowed him to buy three brand-new cars and a house in the barrio of Cerro de Las Rosas, and to pay off a mortgage.

He has two daughters, Lorena and Natalia, and a son, Carli, who is also a cuarteto musician.