Pedro Ortiz Dávila (May 21, 1912 – July 8, 1986), better known as Davilita, was a popular Puerto Rican singer of

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

s and patriotic songs. He was the first artist to record the Rafael Hernández standard "

Lamento Borincano "Lamento Borincano" ('Puerto Rican Lament') is Rafael Hernández Marín's acclaimed composition in Puerto Rico's patriotic tradition. It takes its name from the free musical form Lament (Latin, ''lāmentor''), and from Borinquen, an indigenous n ...

Life and career

Early years

Ortiz Dávila was born in

Bayamón, Puerto Rico Bayamón (, ) is a Bayamón barrio-pueblo, city, Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico and suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan located in the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, Aguas Buenas an ...

. His parents, however, moved to New York City when he was only a child and settled down in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

, which is also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio. Davilita, as he became known, learned to play the guitar at a young age and entertained his family with his voice. One of the places which Davilita frequented was Hernández Record Store in El Barrio, which was a common gathering place for young Latin musicians at the time.Popular Culture
/ref>

With Rafael Hernández

In 1929, 17-year-old Davilita met by chance Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández. Davilita got along with Hernández and was able to see the unfinished version of Hernández's composition "

". Davilita asked Hernández if he could record the song but Hernández thought that he was too young and declined his request. The song was to be recorded by Ramón Quiroz with Davilita and Fausto Delgado as background singers but fate had a different plan. Quiroz became ill on the day of the recording and Davilita ended up doing the recording as the lead voice.Music of Puerto Rico
/ref> The recording was made in 1930 with Manuel Jiménez, better known as "Canario", and his band.''Mi Gran Bandera. José de Diego. Canciones Patrióticas de Davilita con Davilita/Mario Hernández/Sexteto Borinquen''. Liner notes by Amado Alonso García. Festival Records, FR-03. Said recording marks the start of Davilita's career. Eventually, he would join Rafael Hernández's Cuarteto Victoria.

With Pedro Flores

Davilita became very popular in the New York Latin scene and was soon working with many Latin artists. It wasn't long before he met Pedro Flores, a fellow Puerto Rican and composer. He was asked by Flores to join his group (variously known as Cuarteto Flores and Sexteto Flores), along with

Myrta Silva Myrta Silva (September 11, 1927 – December 2, 1987) was a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and television producer who was known affectionately as "La Gorda de Oro". She rose to fame in 1949 as the lead vocalist for the Cuban ensemble Sonora ...

and Daniel Santos. Davilita was a follower of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and the ideals of its president Pedro Albizu Campos. Together with Santos, he recorded various songs which advocated Puerto Rico's independence. They recorded "Patriotas" (''Patriots'') and "La Lucha por la Independencia de Puerto Rico" (''The Fight for Puerto Rico's Independence''), which was adapted from one of

Juan Antonio Corretjer Juan Antonio Corretjer Montes (March 3, 1908 – January 19, 1985) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and pro-independence political activist opposing United States rule in Puerto Rico. Early years Corretjer (birth name: Juan Antonio C ...

's poems.Música!: Salsa, Rumba, Merengue, and more
By Sue Steward; Contributor: Willie Colón; Published 1999 by Chronicle Books; Davilita became the lead singer on many of Flores'

s. He traveled to many countries with the

sextet A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...

. Later on, Davilita formed his own band, Conjunto La Plata.

Further collaborations

In 1954, Davilita had returned to Puerto Rico where he joined Felipe "La Voz" Rodríguez and together they formed a duo. Even though Davilita's voice wasn't as sharp as when he was younger, they were able to score many hits. The duo was successful in Puerto Rico, the United States and Latin America. In the 1960s, they, together with Rafael Cortijo and El Gran Combo, were able to successfully confront the wave of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

music invading the island. In 1973, Davilita and Felipe recorded ''Canciones de Pedro Flores'' (''Songs of Pedro Flores'') and in 1974 they recorded ''Canciones de Rafael Hernández'' (''Songs of Rafael Hernández''). Also in 1974, Davilita, Felipe and

Pellín Rodríguez Pellín Rodríguez (December 4, 1926 – October 31, 1984), was a Salsa singer. Rodríguez was a member of the musical group El Gran Combo and toured with them all over Latin America and Europe, gaining fame and popularity as a singer. In ad ...

(no relation to Felipe) recorded a trilogy which are considered Puerto Rican classics. These were ''La Protesta de los Reyes'' (''The Protest of the Magi''), ''Parranda parrandera'' and ''Navidad'' (Christmas).

Later years and death

On many occasions, Davilita, a strong supporter of the cause of Puerto Rican independence, stated that he was discriminated against for this reason, to the point of endangering his livelihood when the singing contracts decreased during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He recorded an album of Puerto Rican patriotic standards with Mario Hernández y el Sexteto Borinquen in the early 1970s, including the songs "El Bambú", "Preciosa'" (using the original lyrics that allude to the United States as a tyrant because of its colonial control of Puerto Rico), "Mi Patria Tiembla" (the latter two composed by Rafael Hernández), "Borinquen" (a Pedro Flores work), "Los Tres Patriotas" (a composition by Davilita) and the title track "Mi Gran Bandera" (the lyrics are taken from a poem by the Puerto Rican patriot José de Diego). From this same period is Davilita's recording of another patriotic song, "El Yunque y El Cordero", also with Mario Hernández y el Sexteto Borinquen. Davilita had recorded over 3,000 songs before his death in Bayamón, Puerto Rico on July 8, 1986. He is buried in the

Braulio Dueño Colón Braulio Dueño Colón (March 26, 1854 – April 4, 1934) was a Puerto Rican musician and composer. Early years Dueño was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At a young age Dueño's father, who also loved music, taught him the basics of music and s ...

cemetery in Bayamón.

References

External links

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz Davila, Pedro 1912 births 1986 deaths People from Bayamón, Puerto Rico Members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party 20th-century Puerto Rican male singers Puerto Rican independence activists People from East Harlem