Óscar Emilio León Simosa (born July 11, 1943), known as Oscar D'León, and affectionately called ''The Pharaoh of Salsa'', ''The Lion of Salsa'', and the ''World's Sonero'', is a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n musician and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

best known for his

salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music, combining elements of Cuban and Puerto Rican influences. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most ...

. He is the author of "Llorarás", which he recorded in 1974 with his group, Dimensión Latina. He is also an ambassador for Operation Smile.

Early life

Oscar D'León was a long-time resident of the Parroquia Antímano section of

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

(his father was a laborer at the neighborhood cemetery). He had a strong interest in

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

ever since he was a child, improvising bass parts with his throat while playing Latin rhythms with his hands on any available surface. He got in trouble in school early on for doing this constantly. He then took interest in the upright bass (he learned the instrument on his own), and would eventually alternate in jobs as an auto mechanic, assembly line worker or taxi driver (during the day) and bass player (at night) for local 'conjuntos' iterally means an "assembly", but represents a small musical band popularized in Cuba, whereby musicians on bass, guitar, and percussion would all sing local folk songs As he acquired a reputation for being a solid bass player, clever improviser (he would improvise entire songs on the spot), humorous entertainer and dynamic singer (he used to dance with a

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

onstage while singing, a not-so-subtle physical feat), he founded orchestras such as La Golden Star and music groups such as Los Psicodélicos. Together with percussionist José Rodríguez and trombone players César Monge and José Antonio Rojas, he formed Dimensión Latina in 1972. Four years later, D'León quit the group and created La Salsa Mayor. With La Salsa Mayor he recorded the merengue standard "Juanita Morell", a version that became a radio hit in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. He later founded La Crítica in 1978 in memory of the legends of

Cuban rumba Rumba is a secular genre of Cuban music involving dance, percussion, and song. It originated in the northern regions of Cuba, mainly in urban Havana and Matanzas, during the late 19th century. It is based on African music and dance traditions, n ...

, such as Miguelito Valdés. For a while, D'León would alternate singing with both orchestras, giving him enough flexibility to stay working constantly.

Career

During the 1980s, D'León achieved recognition in salsa music, becoming a known Caribbean music singer. In 1982, he visited Cuba. His visit was a major cultural event in the island country. Since local tastes in music had veered away from the traditional sounds of Cuban music, in part because many of the major Cuban stars of the past had either died or were living elsewhere in exile, D'León's "retro" style of music became very popular among Cubans of all ages. Meanwhile, he got tired of carrying around his double bass, "and opening the case in baggage claim at the airport only to find it reduced down to

toothpicks A toothpick is a small thin stick of wood, plastic, bamboo, metal, bone or other substance with at least one and sometimes two pointed ends to insert between Human tooth, teeth to remove detritus, usually after a meal. Toothpicks are also used ...

." Therefore, he gave up playing a bass onstage. He also started shaving his head regularly, as to not bother with

hair loss Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarring ...

any longer. He would, however, never shave off his trademark mustache. Because of successful tours throughout

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, D'León was the first Latino to sign a contract with the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. He has also performed in Japan, where he shocked a television host by heartedly recommending

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

as the key component of a healthy lifestyle during a live interview.

Personal life

Oscar D'León has been a direct or indirect victim of various robberies, among them when he was robbed of $16,000 , and when a plaque dedicated to him was stolen in

Barquisimeto Barquisimeto (; ) is a city in Venezuela. Barquisimeto is located in the Central-Western Region, Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara (state), Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial a ...

nine hours after he had been honored with it and the city's keys on September 13, 2014.

Discography

;Contributing artist * '' The Rough Guide to Salsa'' (1997, World Music Network) ;Albums * ''Dimensión Latina '75'' (1974) * ''Dimensión Latina '76 Salsa Brava'' (1975) * ''Dimensión Latina En Nueva York'' (1976) * ''Con Bajo y Todo'' (1976) * ''2 Sets Con Oscar'' (1977) * ''El "Oscar" de la Salsa'' (1977) * ''Dos Sets Con Oscar D'Leon Y Su Salsa Mayor'' (1977) * ''Tranquilo Y Sin Miedo'' (1978) * ''El Más Grande'' (1979) * ''Llegó...Actuó...Y...Triunfó..!'' (1979) * ''Al Frente De Todos'' (1980) * ''A Mí Sí Me Gusta Así!'' (1981) * ''El Discóbolo'' (1982) * ''Con Dulzura...'' (1983) * ''El Sabor De Oscar'' (1983) * ''Con Cariño'' (1983) * ''Yo Soy'' (1985) * ''Oscar '86'' (1986) * ''De Venezuela Para El Mundo'' (1987) * ''Riquiti..!'' (1987) * ''Que se sienta'' (1988) * ''Navidad con Oscar D'León'' (1989) * ''En Puerto Rico'' (1990) * ''Así soy'' (2004) * ''Fuzionando'' (2006) * ''En Vivo'' (2012) * ''Clásicos de Big Band'' (2014)

Awards and distinctions

D'León was named Best Salsa Artist at the 2014 Pepsi Venezuela Music Awards. On July 7, 2015, he received a Honoris Causa PhD of the Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador for being "a Venezuelan whose discipline and constancy in the development and execution of his musical art have led him to become artistic patrimony of Venezuela".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Leon, Oscar 1943 births Living people Venezuelan bass guitarists Latin Grammy Award winners Musicians from Caracas Salsa musicians Venezuelan bandleaders Place of birth missing (living people) Sony Music Latin artists Universal Music Latino artists Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners RMM Records artists Top Hits artists Male bass guitarists 20th-century Venezuelan male singers 21st-century Venezuelan male singers Venezuelan bolero singers Venezuelan double-bassists