Oct 01, 2019
Julio Jaramillo’s 84th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and music of Ecuadorian singer Julio Jaramillo, also known as El Ruiseñor de América, or “The Nightingale of the Americas.” Born to a working-class family in the bustling port city of Guayaquil on this day in 1935, Jaramillo grew up to become an international star who toured Latin America singing boleros, tangos, rancheras, and pasillos––the sentimental love songs that are often considered Ecuador’s national musical genre.
Jaramillo fell in love with music early, learning to play guitar as a youngster. After dropping out of school, he supported himself as a shoemaker, but longed to become a singer, sometimes serenading passersby in the city streets. Traveling to Colombia in hopes of gaining exposure, he once barged into a live radio broadcast, determined to make his voice heard and managed to impress listeners with his vocals. Back home in Ecuador, he recorded “Nuestro Juramanto” (“Our Oath”), a song about undying love that brought him international acclaim and remains to this day one of the most popular of his thousands of recordings.
Jaramillo lived a colorful life, traveling the world, romancing many women, and appearing in the 1966 film Fiebre de Juventud (Youth Fever). One of Latin America’s most acclaimed singers, he became a sort of unofficial ambassador for Ecuador in pop culture.
Since 1993, October 1st has been celebrated as Día del Pasillo Ecuatoriano, a national holiday honoring the musical form Jaramillo helped to popularize around the world. The singer’s legacy lives on at the Museo Municipal de la Música Popular Julio Jaramillo, welcoming visitors to his hometown all year long.
Happy Birthday, Julio Jaramillo!
Early concepts and drafts by artist Shanti Rittgers
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