440 is the name of the band that accompanies Juan Luis Guerra, the beloved world music star from the Dominican Republic. Taking its name from the A-note frequency in hertz that musicians use to tune their instruments, the group first came together in Santo Domingo around 1984, during the recording of what eventually would become Guerra's debut album, Soplando. Its founding members were Guerra and vocalists Maridalia Hernández, Mariela Mercado, and Roger Zayas-Bazán. 440 quickly became nothing more than a backing band for Guerra's talents, even more so after co-lead singer Hernández left in 1988 to pursue a distinguished solo career. She was replaced by Marco Hernández, who in turn was replaced by Quico Rizek. In 1991 Adalgisa Pantaleón replaced Mercado, although the latter occasionally appeared on subsequent Juan Luis Guerra y 440 albums. ~ Mariano Prunes, Rovi