JULIO JARAMILLO: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Julio Jaramillo (1935 - 1978) was a prominent Ecuadorian singer and musician, known as “El Ruiseñor de América” or “Mr. Oath". He is considered the best singer in the musical history of Ecuador.

Jaramillo achieved fame in Ecuador and throughout Latin America after touring the continent several times during his artistic career. In addition to his solo performances, he acted in various films and participated in radio and television.

Source: es.wikipedia.org

The Ecuadorian singer managed to record more than 4,000 songs throughout his career, Nuestro ouramento being one of his most famous compositions. Most of the lyrics of his songs deal with love and heartbreak, themes that penetrated the society of the moment through boleros, waltzes, corridors and rancheras.

Among his most popular songs are: Fatalidad, Cinco centavitos, Hate me, The soul on the lips and I'll wait for you. Jaramillo's music continues to sound on many Latin American stations today.

Biography

Early years

Julio Alfredo Jaramillo Laurido was born on October 1, 1935 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He was the son of Juan Pantaleón Jaramillo Erazo and Apolonia Laurido Cáceres. He had two brothers: “Pepe”, his older brother, and a sister who passed away when he was only 5 years old.

Her father died on April 2, 1941 when he was making a cross for his deceased little daughter. When he was only 5 years old, Jaramillo was left alone with his mother and brother. Despite financial problems, their mother managed to raise and educate them while working as a nurse in a hospital.

The Jaramillo brothers studied at the Sociedad Filantrópica del Guayas school; however, Julio dropped out of school due to disciplinary problems in the third grade.

He was introduced to the world of music by his neighbor Ignacio Toapanta, who instructed him in guitar lessons. Toapanta realized the enormous musical talent of Jaramillo, so he concentrated on educating him in depth.

Passionate about Toapanta instruments, Julio Jaramillo decided to make his own bamboo guitar to practice on his own. His musical career began when he enrolled in a music school run by Francisco García Avilés.

The singer was characterized by being sickly during his childhood: he had early paralysis and suffered from bronchopneumonia, in addition to other infectious diseases.

Beginnings in music

By age 15, his brother Pepe had been successful as a hall singer, but dropped out of music to study philosophy in Colombia.

Julio was undisciplined, but his motivation to follow in his brother's footsteps led him to focus on his musical career. At the same time, he worked as a shoemaker and furniture varnish.

His artistic life began formally when he won a radio contest to perform at night venues as a singer. When she finally finished her music studies, she moved to Colombia to work and make herself known.

At the age of 17, her melodious voice became more and more famous; in fact, he participated as a guest in several radio programs. In 1950, he joined with two musician friends to form a trio and toured several provinces of Ecuador.

Despite his attributes as a singer, Jaramillo had to return to his trade as a shoemaker in order to survive. He had a disorderly lifestyle, which was openly criticized by public opinion and even by his mother.

Love life

He left home at 18 to move in with Irene, a young woman who was his girlfriend at the time. Together they rented an apartment and had a baby, but he died at eight months old. Although he worked as a shoemaker, Julio continued to venture into the musical world, but with little financial success.

Julio Jaramillo began to attend a place called "La Lagartera", where musicians and poets of the time met. In that place, he managed to establish friendly relations with other musicians. During that time, he met a woman named Odalina Sánchez, with whom he fell in love. He left Irene living alone in his apartment.

Julio and Odalina had a son named Francisco Jaramillo, but later he married another woman named María Rivera. Julio got his new wife pregnant when they were four months married. Despite this, he had secret romances with Odalina and had two more children with her.

The singer was characterized by leading a disorderly life, guided by women and alcohol; Ironically, his attitude stuck with the people and increased his popularity. He began recording new songs and television shows.

His busy lifestyle had negative consequences for his health. These were reflected throughout his adulthood and ended up directly influencing his death.

Artistic career

In 1954 he recorded his first album entitled Pobre mi madre querida, in a duet with the Ecuadorian singer Fresia Saavedra. From that album, her name obtained a new degree of relevance within the Ecuadorian musical community.

The following year, he performed a Peruvian-style waltz song titled Esposa, sung in duet with Carlos Rubira Infante, another famous Ecuadorian composer. She rose to fame in 1956 with another Peruvian-style waltz entitled Fatalidad.

The single sounded on all Ecuadorian stations and on radio stations across the continent, marking the start of his successful artistic career. Her song sold more than 5,000 copies in one week. In addition, she began to venture into the world of acting playing roles on television and in film.

He made several tours of Latin America to publicize his successful bolero Nuestro Juramento. The single allowed him to establish himself in the international music environment. However, after another long and successful tour, he had to put his musical career on hiatus to serve in the military in Ecuador.

Return to artistic life

Upon completing his military service, he decided to continue his artistic career by leading the same messy, bohemian life. He participated in the film Romance en Ecuador, in addition to three other films shot in Argentina, Chile and Mexico.

In 1965 he settled for a time in Venezuela. Living there, she managed to make successful tours to Mexico, Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries. After his resounding success, the Peerless label contacted him to make another tour of Latin America with them.

Jaramillo wanted to marry Coralia Valle in El Salvador; however, the marriage was annulled because he was still officially married in Ecuador to María Rivera, his first wife.

When the divorce was formalized, he decided to marry Nancy Arroyo, a close friend who was by his side for 16 years of his life. Finally, Jaramillo and Arroyo settled in Venezuela.

Last years

He returned to Ecuador in 1975, aged, tired and suffering from cirrhosis. He tried singing again in his homeland, but his deteriorating physical condition damaged his voice, leading to boos among members of his audiences.

During his last years of life, Jaramillo had a radio program known as The JJ Hour. The program produced very little money, making it impossible for the singer to have a good quality of life. In 1978, Jaramillo underwent surgery to remove gallstones from his gallbladder.

Although the procedure was successful, she developed severe peritonitis during the postoperative period. He underwent a second operation, but his body was already in a high state of deterioration.

Jaramillo passed away on February 9, 1978, at the age of 42. According to the doctors, the cause of death had been respiratory arrest. However, it is theorized that he definitively collapsed due to cirrhosis.

Plays

Julio Jaramillo, during his 23 years of artistic life, recorded more than 5,000 songs throughout Latin America.

Many of Jaramillo's songs were adaptations of poems, composed mainly by literary Ecuadorians. However, he also produced various pieces throughout the entire continent with world famous artists.

Fatality

Fatalidad was the song that launched Jaramillo to international stardom in 1956. The song was originally written by Laureano Martínez and Juan Prieto; however, guitarist Rosalino Quintero and Jaramillo made changes to the song to create their own version.

Instead of using the guitar, Rosalino used the requinto (a smaller guitar). This achieved a combination of the Peruvian waltz with the typical Ecuadorian corridors. The theme had more than 5000 buyers during the first week of launch.

Our oath

Our oath was a song composed by Puerto Rican Benito de Jesús and performed by Julio Jaramillo in 1957. This single was the one that led Jaramillo to position himself as one of the best singers of romantic ballads in the world.

Source: flickr.com

Jaramillo performed this song with Rosalino Quintero himself, who again took up the requinto to give the piece a unique touch. The success of the song made Jaramillo become known as Mr. Juramento.

The soul on the lips

The soul on the lips was one of the most famous songs by Julio Jaramillo. The song was adapted from one of the poems by the Ecuadorian Medardo Ángel Silva, originally composed for the poet's wife.

The composer Francisco Paredes Herrera modified the composition so that it could be interpreted by Jaramillo. The theme is recognized as one of the most important hallway pieces in the history of Ecuador.

References

1. Julio Jaramillo, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from Wikipedia.org
2. Julio Jaramillo: A Legend Who Died 40 Years Ago, Nina Bortulossi, (2018). Taken from el-carabobeno.com
3. Julio Jaramillo, editores de encolombia, (nd). Taken from encolombia.com
4. Julio Jaramillo Music Great Hits, Goraymi website, (nd). Taken from goraymi.com
5. Julio Jaramillo, Biographies and Lives Portal, (nd). Taken from biografiasyvidas.com