Musical Legend Dies

Jorge Villamil Cordovez was, in 2008, recognized as a LIVING LEGEND in Colombia. He is kind of like the Frank Sinatra of the country. He was the composer of over 200 songs -- most of which were instant hits, and he died last week in Bogotá

Villamil was born in El Cedral, Huila, Colombia, in 1930. He was trained and worked for many years as a doctor. In addition, he was one of Colombia's most prolific song writers and lyricists. Though ironically, he never learned to write musical notes in his life. Instead, he would memorize the melody and harmony and then play the songs. His first hit was entitled ESPUMAS and was released in 1962. You can hear it by clicking below. This song is also on the 100 Most Beautiful Songs of Colombia list from a contest held almost 2 decades ago.

In 1972, Villamil left his medical practice to dedicate himself to his music. By that time, he had several Gold Records and had won many awards. During his life, he was selected by Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the former Soviet Union for various musical awards.

After the funeral Wednesday, the Colombian television station RCN reported that Villamil had been responsible for writing songs that helped "...millions of Colombians fall in love." Here is one of his more famous love songs -- also a Colombian top 100 -- "Me Llevarás en Tí". FYI, several of his songs are available on Itunes for download.