Since it's already July 11th, it's impossible not to remember the happy birthday of Oscar D' León, from Antímano, the possessor of a voice combined with a charisma on stage that frankly, not every sonero has.
Born in 1943, he began his musical journey somewhat late, having previously worked as a mechanic and taxi driver, and studied surveying, though he never practiced it. A self-taught double bassist, life brought him together with his friends César Monges and Elio Pacheco, forming the nucleus of La Dimensión Latina. The rest of his story is, shall we say, well-known history. Congratulations to Oscar.
But it so happens that on July 11th, in 1930, none other than Eneas Perdomo, the Apure native and "General-in-Chief of Venezuelan Llanero Music," was born. He was born in El Yagual, and from a very young age, the entire plains knew what that young man would become. Among the hits sung in his powerful voice are "Camino de San Fernando," "Adiós Barrancas de Arauca," "Seis Numerao," "Linda Barinas," "Fiesta en Elorza," and "Flor Sabanera," to name a few. He reigned for six decades of glory in Llanero music, and he passed away in glory in February 2011, fifteen years ago.
And so the 12th birthday arrives. This Sunday will be Gualberto Ibarreto's birthday, a man who loved being among the older generation to learn so much that they began calling him "El Pichón" (The Little Pigeon), and the name stuck. The son of Pablo Cruz and Miguelina will turn 79, surrounded by his family in his beloved Pilar, feeling the immense affection of all the people of Venezuela, a legacy of his dedicated training in El Tigre (Anzoátegui), his subsequent move to Mérida, and from there, the affection of the entire country.
And tomorrow also marks 37 years since the passing of Carlos Puebla, a monument to the dignity of Cuba and Latin America. Endowed with a remarkable wit, the man from Manzanillo left behind lessons and an example of unwavering loyalty to a cause and to the great people who loved him.
@lildelvalle
