His visit was a major cultural event in the island country. For a while, D'León would alternate singing with both orchestras, giving him enough flexibility to stay working constantly.ĭuring the 1980s, D'León achieved recognition in salsa music, becoming a known Caribbean music singer. He later founded La Crítica in 1978 in memory of the legends of Cuban rumba, such as Miguelito Valdés. With La Salsa Mayor he recorded the merengue standard "Juanita Morell", a version that became a radio hit in Puerto Rico. įour years later, D'León quit the group and created La Salsa Mayor. Together with percussionist José Rodríguez and trombone players César Monge and José Antonio Rojas, he formed Dimensión Latina in 1972. 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. 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'. He got in trouble in school early on for doing this constantly. 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. Oscar D'León was a long-time resident of the Parroquia Antímano section of Caracas, Venezuela (his father was a laborer at the neighborhood cemetery). He is also ambassador for Operation Smile. He is the author of "Llorarás", which he recorded in 1974 with his group, Dimensión Latina. Oscar Emilio León Somoza (born July 11, 1943), known as Oscar D'León, and affectionately called The Pharaoh of Salsa, The Lion of Salsa, and the World's Sonero, is a Venezuelan musician and bassist best known for his work with salsa music.
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