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 and most populated city of the Department of Huila, south central Colombia. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River with a municipal population of 388,299. It is one of the most important cities in southern Co ...

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

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

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

tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a particular type of guitar, typically with 10 or 12 strings but sometimes fewer, and is built in several distinct regional styles. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first written mention of ...

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 Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

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

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (English: Xavierian Pontifical University) is a private university in Colombia founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest and most traditional Colombian universities, directed by the Society of Jesus, with its ...

. 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, whose songs are regarded as the basis of modern Regional Mexican music and Rancheras. Early life Jiménez was born in Dolores Hidalgo, ...

Pedro Vargas Pedro Vargas Mata (29 April 1906 – 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 Americas", "Song Samurai" or "Continental ...

, 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 well ...

Los Panchos Originally, Trio Los Panchos were a '' trío romántico'' formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and the Puerto Rican Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exporters of the bolero and the romantic balla ...

Armando Manzanero Armando Manzanero Canché (7 December 1934 – 28 December 2020) was a Mexican musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successful comp ...

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

, Consuelo Velásquez,

Lola Beltrán María Lucila "Lola" Beltrán Ruiz (7 March 1932 – 24 March 1996) was a Mexican actress and singer. She is and was one of Mexico's most acclaimed singers of Ranchera and Huapango music. She collaborated with other Mexican music stars such as ...

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 her youth was Martha de Mi ...

La Tariácuri, Estela Núñez,

Antonio Aguilar José Pascual Antonio Aguilar Márquez Barraza (17 May 191919 June 2007), known as Antonio Aguilar, was a Mexican singer and actor. He recorded over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and acted in more than 120 films. He was given t ...

and

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

. 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 a ...

, Marco Antonio Muñiz,

Alejandro Fernández Alejandro Fernández Abarca (; born 24 April 1971) is a Mexican singer. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, he is the son of the Mexican singer Vicente Fernández. Nicknamed as " El Potrillo" by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million rec ...

, Felipe Arriaga; other international artists are Soraya, Juan Erasmo Mochi (Spain), Julio Jaramillo (Ecuador), Jerónimo ( Alberto Pedro Gonzales, Argentina), Leo Marini (Argentina),

Olga Guillot Olga Guillot (October 9, 1923 – 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 ...

(France), 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 Alci Acosta (born Alcibiades Alfonso Acosta Cervantes on 5 November 1938) is a Colombian bolero singer, pianist, and performer of Latin American music including pasillos, corridos, valses, and rancheras. Acosta is a highly successful artist ...

, Carmenza Duque, Isadora, Helenita Vargas, Carmina Gallo, Lyda Zamora,

Jaime Llano González Jaime Llano González (1932–2017), was a Colombian organist and composer. He regularly appeared on Colombian television and radio throughout his career, and his skill on the organ earned him the nickname "The Organist with the Silken Hands" (S ...

, 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 mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

-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 Colombian male composers Colombian musicians Bambuco musicians Diabetes-related deaths Colombian songwriters Colombian male songwriters People from Huila Department