Oscar D'León

Oscar Emilio León Somoza, known as Oscar D'León (Caracas, Venezuela on July 11, 1943) is a Venezuelan musician of salsa music. He is the author of "Llorarás," which he recorded in 1975 with his group La Dimensión Latina. He is also ambassador for Operation Smile.

Early life and career

Oscar D'León was a long-time resident of the Parroquia Antímano section of Caracas (his father was a laborer at the neighborhood cemetery). He had a strong interest in percussion 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 [literally 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 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 La Dimensión Latina in 1972.

Oscar

Oscar, The Oscar or OSCAR may refer to:

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Leon

Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:

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Grandes éxitos

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See also

Johnny Pacheco

Johnny Pacheco (born 25 March 1935) is a Dominican musician, arranger, producer, and bandleader of Cuban music (guaracha, son montuno, danzón, cha cha chá, guajira-son, pachanga). He is one of the most influential figures in Latin music, best known for being the creator of the Fania All-Stars, and for coining the term "Salsa" to denote the genre.

Early life and family

Born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, Pacheco inherited his passion for music from his father, Rafael Azarías Pacheco, who was the bandleader and clarinetist of the "Santa Cecilia Orchestra". In the late 1940s, when Pacheco was 11, his family moved to New York City. He continued polishing his musical skills, learning to play accordion, violin, flute, saxophone and clarinet.

His father, Rafael Azarías Pacheco, was the grandson of a Spanish soldier who arrived during the Spanish reannexation of Santo Domingo. His mother, Octavia Knipping Rochet, was the granddaughter of a French colonist, and the great-granddaughter of a German merchant who was married to a Dominican woman who was born to Spanish colonists.