Jorge Villamil Cordovez (June 6, 1929 – February 28, 2010) was a Colombian composer and songwriter born in El Cedral, a large coffee plantation near

Neiva Neiva () is the capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 357,392 inhabitants. It is one of the most important cities in southern Colombia, mainly ...

( Huila). He was one of the most prolific and important composers of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and South America. Villamil's talent was evident when he learned to play Colombian

tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a plucked typically 12-string chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first mention of the tiple comes from musicologist Pablo Minguet e Irol in 1752. Although ma ...

at 4 years of age. He was the youngest and only male of a family of 7.

Biography

Villamil's parents were Jorge Villamil Ortega and Leonor Cordovez Pizarro (Panama). He grew up in a large farm in the country side of Colombia this was a critical factor on his future musical works; some of them describe the social struggles of Colombian history and the colorful life of the country side. Jorge Villamil studied elemental school in Garzón (a small town in Huila Department) and graduated from high school in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

(Colombia). In 1958, Jorge Augusto Villamil received his doctorate in medicine with a specialization in orthopedic surgery from

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Societ ...

. On November 11, 1965, he married Olga Lucia Ospina (daughter of Mariano Ospina Navi

and Beatriz Serrano de Ospina). They had two children Jorge and Ana Maria Villamil Ospina. One year later, the couple moved to Mexico D.F. to study on Centro Cuauthémoc. There he came in contact with many famous artists who influenced his career such as

José Alfredo Jiménez José Alfredo Jiménez Sandoval (; 19 January 1926 – 23 November 1973) was a Mexican singer-songwriter of rancheras, whose songs are considered the basis of modern Mexican music. Biography Jiménez was born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, M ...

Pedro Vargas Pedro Vargas Mata (San Miguel de Allende, 29 April 1906 – Mexico City, 30 October 1989) was a Mexican tenor and actor, from the golden age of Mexican cinema, participating in more than 70 films. He was known as the "Nightingale of the Ameri ...

, Mario Moreno

Cantinflas Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas (), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely-accomplished Mexican comedian and is cele ...

Los Panchos Originally, Trio Los Panchos are a '' trío romántico'' formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exponents of the bolero and the romantic ballad in Latin America. I ...

Armando Manzanero Armando Manzanero Canché (7 December 1935 – 28 December 2020) was a Mexican Maya peoples, Mayan musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the ...

Marco Antonio Muñiz Marco Antonio Muñiz (born 3 March 1933) is a Mexican singer from Jalisco, Mexico. Known all over Latin America, he also acted in the 1965 film '' Sinful'' ( Spanish: El Pecador). He belongs to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Early life and car ...

, Consuelo Velásquez,

Lola Beltrán María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz (7 March 1932 – 24 March 1996), known professionally as Lola Beltrán, was a Mexican actress and singer. Beltrán is and was one of Mexico's most acclaimed singers of Ranchera and Huapango music. She made the ...

Amalia Mendoza Amalia Mendoza García (10 July 1923 – 11 June 2001), nicknamed ''La Tariácuri'', was a Mexican singer and actress. "Échame a mi la culpa" and "Amarga navidad" were some of her greatest hits. her best friend since youth was Martha De Mirand ...

La Tariácuri, Estela Núñez, Tony Aguilar and

Vicente Fernández Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México ...

. During his stay in Mexico, he created more than 20 songs including El Barcino, Entre cadenas, Ocasos, Oropel, Penas al viento, Sólo recuerdos, Soñar contigo and Soy Cobarde. In the '70s, Jorge Villamil was living between his medicine practice in the Instituto de Seguros Sociales, his family and music. During 1976, in one of the hardest decisions of his life, Jorge Villamil retired from a promissory medicine career and started officially a career in arts as a composer. He separated from his wife Olga Lucia (1974), who died 4 years later at the age of 33.

Interpreters

Jorge Villamil has written more than 190 songs. His country geographical richness and beauty as well as a constant admiration for the human nature are depicted on his musical work. His songs are part of Colombian history and have been interpreted by many famous international and Colombian artists. From Mexico,

Javier Solis Javier may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike'' * Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. * ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known ...

, Marco Antonio Muñiz,

Alejandro Fernández Alejandro Fernández Abarca (; born 24 April 1971) is a Mexican singer. Nicknamed as El Potrillo by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million records worldwide, making him one of the most successful Hispanic music artists. He is the ...

, Felipe Arriaga; other international artists are

Soraya (musician) Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas (March 11, 1969 – May 10, 2006) was a Colombian-American singer/songwriter, guitarist, arranger and record producer. A successful Colombian music star, she had two number-one songs on Billboard's Latin Pop Airpla ...

, Juan Erasmo Mochi (Spain),

Julio Jaramillo Julio Alfredo Jaramillo Laurido (October 1, 1935 – February 9, 1978) was a notable Ecuadorian singer and recording artist who performed throughout Latin America, achieving great fame for his renditions of boleros, valses, pasillos, tangos, a ...

(Ecuador), Jerónimo (

Alberto Pedro Gonzales Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic '' Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Alb ...

, Argentina), Leo Marini (Argentina),

Olga Guillot Olga Guillot (October 9, 1922 – July 12, 2010) was a Cuban singer who was known as the "Queen of Bolero". She was a native of Santiago de Cuba. Biography Daughter of Catalan-Jewish immigrants who moved to Cuba, her father was a tailor and her ...

(Cuba), Hamid Saab (France), Salvatore Castagnada (Italy), Lindomar Castilho (Brazil), Los Chalchaleros (Argentina) and

Franck Pourcel Franck Pourcel (14 August 1913 – 12 November 2000) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music. Biography Early life Born in Marseille, France, Pourcel started learning the violin at the age of six. Later, ...

(Francia), among others. In Colombia, musical groups like Silva y Villalba, Garzon y Collazos, Emeterio y Felipe, Los Hermanos Martinez, Carlos Julio Ramirez, Victor Hugo Ayala, Jaime Mora, Billy Pontoni, Jesus David Quintana, Alci Acosta, Carmenza Duque, Isadora, Helenita Vargas, Carmina Gallo, Lyda Zamora, Jaime Llano Gonzalez, among others. He has been the recipient of numerous national and international awards. Internationally, The Association of Latin Entertainment Critics ACE – Composer of the Year (1978), Hollywood Gold Palm (1969), Carnegie Hall – Latin Recognition (1977), Human Values Award by the Organization of American States, United Nation Recognition (1985), Gallo de Oro (Brazil), Distinguished Guest by URSS. From Colombia, different Presidential, Congressional and cultural awards.

Death

Jorge Villamil died at his residence in

at 10 pm ( UTC-5) on February 28, 2010, of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

-related complications. News of Villamil death in El Tiempo

Songs

Some if his songs are: * Espumas (1962) * Llamarada (1970) * Llorando por amor (1961) * Los Remansos (1964) * Los Guaduales (1965) * Me llevarás en Ti (1966) * El Barcino (1969) * Oropel (1969) * Adiós al Huila (1951) * Garza Morena (1962) * Luna Roja (1976) * Vieja Hacienda del Cedral (1958) * Brumas (1971) * Campanas de Navidad (1957) * Cruz sin nombre (1982) * Desesperanzas (1960), * Canaguaro (1978) * El caballo Colombiano (1976) * El canalete (1970) * El caracoli (1958) * El Embajador (1962) * El Gualanday (1965) * El Peregrino (1997) * Fantasia Sabanera (1994) * La Chimenea (1975) * La Cicatriz (1968) * La Mestiza (1984) * La Mortaja (1958) * La Trapichera (1958) * La Vaqueria (1960) * Llano Grande (1963) * Matambo (1961) * Mirando al Valle del Cauca (1964) * Al Sur (1967) * Noche de Azahares (1962) * Noches de la Plata (1960) * Painima (1964) * Tepeyac (1998)

References

* Ministerio de Cultura (Ministry of Culture). Republica de Colombia "http://www.mincultura.gov.co/?idcategoria=24112" * www.sayco.org, January 2003 (Spanish) www.colarte.com; Jorge Villamil Retrieved from "http://www.colarte.arts.co/recuentos/Compositores/VillamilJorge/recuento.htm?" * Luis Angel Arango Library. Bogotá. Colombia (Spanish) www.lablaa.org; Jorge Villamil retrieve from "http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/villamil.htm" * (Spanish) Silva, Vicente. Las Huellas de Villamil. Edit. Municipio de Neiva (2002) {{DEFAULTSORT:Villamil, Jorge 1929 births 2010 deaths Colombian composers Male composers Colombian musicians Bambuco musicians Deaths from diabetes Colombian songwriters Male songwriters People from Huila Department