Oscar D' León, the Son singer of the world!

ylich (67)in #danceweekend • 5 years ago (edited)

El Sonero del Mundo (The Sonero or Son Singer of the World), The Dancing Bass, The Lion of Salsa, The Pharaoh of the Salsa, The Devil of Salsa, all these are the names given to Óscar Emilio León Simoza, a Caracas man of modest origins. He sold the Arepas, which his mother prepared for the household budget. Later he studied to become a surveyor, but eventually he became a taxi driver. In this taxi, he developed his passion for music by listening to great soneros and singers such as Benny Moré (his idol), Celia Cruz, Barbarito Diez and groups such as Sonora Matancera and Orquesta Aragón. As a 28-year-old, he made his professional leap into music and catapulted worldwide under the name of Oscar D 'León.

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His biological father was Florentino Padrón, musician and famous composer of songs like "María" and "Detalles", songs that were successful in the voice of Oscar. However, the father's love, as well as his surname, was given by Justo León, to whom the Sonero del Mundo, among others, dedicated the song "A Él” (To Him), as a recognition of his fatherly work.

Maybe his inclination to singing comes from his mother, because this was an activity liked by the woman who gave him life, the brunette Carmen Dionisia Simoza. And it's from a brother of her that Oscar starts a more direct contact with music, because that guy played the Cuban tres. It was in those same times that he began to sing in the aguinalderos groups that were formed in Antímano, the sector where he grew up.

In 1960 he began to make his foray into music, although always as an instrumentalist, because he had never considered being a singer. But it is in 1972 when he makes the definitive leap to fame, being part of the group the Latin Dimension, of which I spoke in my review La Dimensión Latina in #danceweekend [English], in which he also premiered as a solo singer.

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From that moment Oscar's popularity began a dizzying rise. It is that he combines a very personal vocal style with an unprecedented ability to improvise verses, a striking way of dancing while playing bass, and a charisma without comparison. These four elements contributed first to the projection of the Dimension Latina and then to his personal projects.

One of his compositions was the spark that ignited the wick of his internationalization. The song "Llorarás" (You'll cry) became a classic of Caribbean music, a reference in salsa and the song that must not be missing from any of his concerts.

Five years after the birth of Dimension Latina, Oscar split up to realize his personal projects. The first of them was named Oscar D' León and his salsa mayor. At the same time, he created the orchestra La Crítica. With these projects, however, the final doors of his solo career were opened, so that the trajectory of both orchestras was watered down over time.

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In 1986, Oscar was in the same record label as my group Los Cañoneros, in Top Hits, where we met for the first time in person.

Oscar D 'León has achieved many unprecedented successes in the history of salsa. At first he had become one of the top performers, something reserved for Cubans and Puerto Ricans. The fact that he won the title "Sonero del Mundo" says a lot about it. His first step was Venezuela, then Latin America and the United States. After that, he made a great success in European, Asian, African countries and more recently in the Middle East.

After being a fan of artists such as Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, Oscar became her partner in the project known as "La Combinación Perfecta", which was attended by the most famous salsa artists, including Cheo Feliciano, José Alberto "El Canario", La India, Tito Nieves and many more.

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In 2013, he became one of the few who received a Grammy Award. His voice was heard in two Hollywood movies, The Emperor's New Groove and Despicable Me 2. But also in the city of New York it was declared the Oscar D 'León day.

His live performances are famous because it's a show that lasts about three hours. Oscar shows a unique energy, a surprising vitality and a musical capacity without limits.

At 75, he is still active and ready to make everyone dance.