José Barros
Encyclopedia
José Benito Barros or simply José Barros (born March 21, 1915 in El Banco
, Magdalena
- died on May 12, 2007 in Santa Marta
, Magdalena
) was a Colombian
musician, composer of more than 800 songs in the musical genres of cumbia
, porro
, merengue, currulao, paseo
, bolero
and tango
. Considered one of the most ingenious and versatile Colombian musical composers.http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/julio2006/personajes.htm
Joao María Barro Traveceido and Eustasia Palomino and was the youngest of five siblings. Barros didn't get to know his parents, who died while he was still an infant. He was raised by his aunt Clara Palomino. He only lived with one of his siblings.http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/musica/blaaaudio/compo/barros/indice.htm
Barros used to sing in his hometown central square or at rich people's houses to help with his home expenditures. As time passed, he learned to play a variety of instruments, especially the guitar.
He moved to Santa Marta
when he became 17 years old, and from there he tried to travel to other places but he was unable to do so because he was drafted for military service. After his time in the army concluded he went back to his hometown, but his desire to visit new places remained, and thus, while everyone in El Banco was partying he decided to go aboard as a stowaway
in the steamship Medellin, which came from Barranquilla
and was on its way to Honda, an important fluvial port close to Bogota
. He was spotted, though, and was dropped in the city of Barrancabermeja
. He met other musicians there, who had arrived in similar circumstances, and became part of different groups playing in pubs. After a while, he moved to Segovia, Antioquia, to search for gold.
One year later he arrived to Medellín
, where he was declared winner in a songwriting contest with a song called "El Minero" (the Miner). By the end of the 1940s he travelled to Bogota, where he lived with drum player Jesús Lara Pérez "Tumbelé"; he married Tulia Molano in June 12, 1943, who gave birth to one son, José, and one daughter, Sonia. Living in Bogotá he realized that the music coming from his region was becoming increasingly popular, and he devoted himself to songwriting, having a first hit with his song "El gallo tuerto" (the one-eyed rooster).
His fame increased with the time, and he was invited to countries such as Panamá, México and Argentina, an experience that led him to write rancheras and tangos. Later, he met and engaged in a relationship with Amelia Caraballo, in Barranquilla, who gave birth to four children: Adolfo, Alberto, Alfredo, and Abel Guillermo.
By the 1960s, sick, Barros returned to El Banco, and with a group of friends he created and organized the Festival de la Cumbia in 1971.
El Banco
El Banco is a Colombian Municipality and town located in the southern most part of the Department of Magdalena by the Magdalena River.-External links:...
, Magdalena
Magdalena Department
Magdalena is a department of Colombia, located to the north of the country by the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Magdalena Department is Santa Marta and was named after the Magdalena River...
- died on May 12, 2007 in Santa Marta
Santa Marta
Santa Marta is the capital city of the Colombian department of Magdalena in the Caribbean Region. It was founded in July 29, 1525 by the Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, which makes it the oldest remaining city in Colombia...
, Magdalena
Magdalena Department
Magdalena is a department of Colombia, located to the north of the country by the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Magdalena Department is Santa Marta and was named after the Magdalena River...
) was a Colombian
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
musician, composer of more than 800 songs in the musical genres of cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
, porro
Porro
The porro is a musical style and dance from the Caribbean region of Colombia. It is a Colombian Cumbia rhythm that developed into its own sub-genre. It was originally a folkloric expression from the Sinú River area that evolved into a ballroom dance...
, merengue, currulao, paseo
Paseo
Paseo may refer to:* Paseo de la Reforma, an avenue in Mexico City, Mexico* El Paseo, a shopping mall in Palm Desert, California* Paseo Arts District, a commercial shopping district in Oklahoma City* The Paseo, a parkway in Kansas City, Missouri...
, bolero
Bolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
and tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
. Considered one of the most ingenious and versatile Colombian musical composers.http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/julio2006/personajes.htm
Biography
Barros was the son of PortuguesePortuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
Joao María Barro Traveceido and Eustasia Palomino and was the youngest of five siblings. Barros didn't get to know his parents, who died while he was still an infant. He was raised by his aunt Clara Palomino. He only lived with one of his siblings.http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/musica/blaaaudio/compo/barros/indice.htm
Barros used to sing in his hometown central square or at rich people's houses to help with his home expenditures. As time passed, he learned to play a variety of instruments, especially the guitar.
He moved to Santa Marta
Santa Marta
Santa Marta is the capital city of the Colombian department of Magdalena in the Caribbean Region. It was founded in July 29, 1525 by the Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, which makes it the oldest remaining city in Colombia...
when he became 17 years old, and from there he tried to travel to other places but he was unable to do so because he was drafted for military service. After his time in the army concluded he went back to his hometown, but his desire to visit new places remained, and thus, while everyone in El Banco was partying he decided to go aboard as a stowaway
in the steamship Medellin, which came from Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
and was on its way to Honda, an important fluvial port close to Bogota
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. He was spotted, though, and was dropped in the city of Barrancabermeja
Barrancabermeja
Barrancabermeja is a city and municipality in Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. It is located on the banks of the Magdalena River in the Middle Magdalena region, 110 km west of Bucaramanga. Founded in 1536, Barrancabermeja is home of the biggest petroleum refinery in Colombia,...
. He met other musicians there, who had arrived in similar circumstances, and became part of different groups playing in pubs. After a while, he moved to Segovia, Antioquia, to search for gold.
One year later he arrived to Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, where he was declared winner in a songwriting contest with a song called "El Minero" (the Miner). By the end of the 1940s he travelled to Bogota, where he lived with drum player Jesús Lara Pérez "Tumbelé"; he married Tulia Molano in June 12, 1943, who gave birth to one son, José, and one daughter, Sonia. Living in Bogotá he realized that the music coming from his region was becoming increasingly popular, and he devoted himself to songwriting, having a first hit with his song "El gallo tuerto" (the one-eyed rooster).
His fame increased with the time, and he was invited to countries such as Panamá, México and Argentina, an experience that led him to write rancheras and tangos. Later, he met and engaged in a relationship with Amelia Caraballo, in Barranquilla, who gave birth to four children: Adolfo, Alberto, Alfredo, and Abel Guillermo.
By the 1960s, sick, Barros returned to El Banco, and with a group of friends he created and organized the Festival de la Cumbia in 1971.
Compositions
- La piragua
- Las Pilanderas
- Momposina
- Arbolito de navidad
- Me voy de la vida
- Navidad negra
- El gallo tuerto
- Pesares
- A la orilla del mar
- Ají picante