Leandro Díaz
Encyclopedia
Leandro José Díaz Duarte (born February 20, 1928 in Hatonuevo
, La Guajira
) is a Colombia
n vallenato
music composer. He is mostly known for his ability to compose very descriptive and narrative vallenato songs despite his blindness. His songs have been recorded by many prominent Colombian musicians including Carlos Vives
, Diomedes Diaz
, Jorge Oñate
, Ivan Villazon
, among others.
During the 38th version of the Vallenato Legend Festival
, Diaz was proclaimed "King for Life of the Vallenato Legend Festival" along Rafael Escalona
, Emiliano Zuleta Baquero, Calixto Ochoa, Adolfo Pacheco and Tobías Enrique Pumarejo.
.
Diaz was born blind but this did not an impediment for him to develop a sense of the world he could not see. His parents took him to the Virgin of El Carmen festivities every year, vacation time in which his cousins visited him and sang to him for fun. He composed his first song at the age of 17 years old and named it "La Loba de Ceniza".
On October 4, 1948 Diaz decided to move to Hatonuevo
where he participated in numerous parties with friends and which he was always asked to sing. He met local musician "Chico Bolaño" and established a friendship. Bolaño died shortly, death that inspired Diaz to compose the song "Mañana".
and San Diego
. while living in Tocaimo, Diaz composed the song "La Trampa de los Tocaimeros", in which he mentioned every single family name in town. He also composed two of his most renown songs "Matilde Lina" and the "Diosa Coronada" whose intro insipired Colombian Nobel in Literature Gabriel Garcia Marquez
and appeared in the beginning of the novel Love in the Time of Cholera
.
He also composed during time the songs "La Primavera" and "La Trampa" among others. Another hit song, recorded by vallenato singer Jorge Oñate
, was "A mi no me Consuela Nadie". Diaz met vallenato accordionist Pedro Julio Castro, a native of San Juan del Cesar
and traveled the region for gigs.
. In 1993 Ivo composed the song "Dame tu Alma" to honor his father. The song won at the Vallenato Legend Festival
as best song.
Hatonuevo
Hatonuevo is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. A municipality of the La Guajira Department since 1994, it has a population of approximately 17,014 inhabitants, the majority being workers of El Cerrejon coal mine.The town has an extension of 347 km2 and is...
, La Guajira
Department of La Guajira
La Guajira is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of its namesake peninsula, the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, facing the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela in the northern most part of South America...
) is a Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
music composer. He is mostly known for his ability to compose very descriptive and narrative vallenato songs despite his blindness. His songs have been recorded by many prominent Colombian musicians including Carlos Vives
Carlos Vives
Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo is a Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award winning-Colombian singer, composer and actor.-Biography:...
, Diomedes Diaz
Diomedes Díaz
Diomedes de Jesús Díaz Maestre is a Colombian vallenato singer and composer. He is the most widely recognized performer of this musical genre...
, Jorge Oñate
Jorge Oñate
Jorge Oñate born March 31, 1949 in the town of Los Robles La Paz, near the city of Valledupar in northern Colombia, is one of the most renown singers and composers of the vallenato musical genre. As of 2004 and since the beginning of his career in 1968 he has achieved 25 gold discs, 7 platinum...
, Ivan Villazon
Iván Villazón
Iván Francisco Villazón Aponte was born October 25, 1959 in the city of Valledupar, Colombia. He is one of the most renowned vallenato singers in Colombia...
, among others.
During the 38th version of the Vallenato Legend Festival
Vallenato Legend Festival
The Vallenato Legend Festival is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The Festival features a vallenato music contests for best interpreter of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, as well as piqueria and best song...
, Diaz was proclaimed "King for Life of the Vallenato Legend Festival" along Rafael Escalona
Rafael Escalona
Rafael Calixto Escalona Martinez was a Colombian composer and troubadour. He was known for being one of the most prominent vallenato music composers and troubadours of the genre and for being the co-founder of the Vallenato Legend Festival, along with Consuelo Araújo and Alfonso López Michelsen.He...
, Emiliano Zuleta Baquero, Calixto Ochoa, Adolfo Pacheco and Tobías Enrique Pumarejo.
Early years
Diaz was born in a farm named "La Casa de Alto Pino" in the locality known as Lagunita de la Sierra then corregimiento of Hatonuevo in the Commissary of La Guajira which in 1928 pertained to the municipality of BarrancasBarrancas, La Guajira
Barrancas is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. The municipality of Barrancas is located to the left margin of the Ranchería River in a valley formed between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains and the Serrania del Perija. Barrancas has a total area of 742 km²...
.
Diaz was born blind but this did not an impediment for him to develop a sense of the world he could not see. His parents took him to the Virgin of El Carmen festivities every year, vacation time in which his cousins visited him and sang to him for fun. He composed his first song at the age of 17 years old and named it "La Loba de Ceniza".
On October 4, 1948 Diaz decided to move to Hatonuevo
Hatonuevo
Hatonuevo is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. A municipality of the La Guajira Department since 1994, it has a population of approximately 17,014 inhabitants, the majority being workers of El Cerrejon coal mine.The town has an extension of 347 km2 and is...
where he participated in numerous parties with friends and which he was always asked to sing. He met local musician "Chico Bolaño" and established a friendship. Bolaño died shortly, death that inspired Diaz to compose the song "Mañana".
Life in Tocaimo
Diaz began to travel the region as a singer and established for a while in village of Tocaimo, located in the Department of Cesar, between the municipalities of CodazziCodazzi
Agustín Codazzi or Codazzi, is a city and municipality of the Department of Cesar. It was founded in 1784 by the Spanish Captain Salvador Felix de Arias with the name of El Pueblito del Espiritu Santo but later renamed after the Italian cartographer, Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi, who died in...
and San Diego
San Diego, Cesar
San Diego is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Cesar.-External links:* *...
. while living in Tocaimo, Diaz composed the song "La Trampa de los Tocaimeros", in which he mentioned every single family name in town. He also composed two of his most renown songs "Matilde Lina" and the "Diosa Coronada" whose intro insipired Colombian Nobel in Literature Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
and appeared in the beginning of the novel Love in the Time of Cholera
Love in the Time of Cholera
Love in the Time of Cholera is a novel by Nobel Prize winning Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez first published in the Spanish language during 1985. Alfred A. Knopf published the English translation during 1988...
.
He also composed during time the songs "La Primavera" and "La Trampa" among others. Another hit song, recorded by vallenato singer Jorge Oñate
Jorge Oñate
Jorge Oñate born March 31, 1949 in the town of Los Robles La Paz, near the city of Valledupar in northern Colombia, is one of the most renown singers and composers of the vallenato musical genre. As of 2004 and since the beginning of his career in 1968 he has achieved 25 gold discs, 7 platinum...
, was "A mi no me Consuela Nadie". Diaz met vallenato accordionist Pedro Julio Castro, a native of San Juan del Cesar
San Juan del Cesar
San Juan del Cesar is a municipality and town located in the La Guajira Department, Colombia.-Etymology:San Juan Bautista del Cesar name in and Chet-tzar or Sasare indigenous language for calm water, the name of the Cesar River.-History:...
and traveled the region for gigs.
Family
Diaz then met Elena Clementina Ramos, with whom he ended up having eight children, including singer Ivo DiazIvo Díaz
Ivo Luis Aldazabal Diaz is a Cuban-born Hungarian handball player who plays for Tatabanya-Carbonex KC. Previously he played for Hungarian record champions KC Veszprém and Spanish clubs CB Ademar León and JD Arrate....
. In 1993 Ivo composed the song "Dame tu Alma" to honor his father. The song won at the Vallenato Legend Festival
Vallenato Legend Festival
The Vallenato Legend Festival is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The Festival features a vallenato music contests for best interpreter of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, as well as piqueria and best song...
as best song.