Jorge Velosa
Jorge Luis Velosa Ruiz is a Colombian singer-songwriter, professor, actor, and writer, recognized as one of the leading exponents and initiators of carranguera music.
Graduated from the National University of Colombia as a veterinary physician, Velosa chose to fully dedicate himself to music and literature with a carranguero flavor.
Early life and education
Jorge Luis Velosa Ruiz was born on October 6, 1949, in Ráquira, a municipality in the Boyacá department, Colombia. From his childhood, he was surrounded by rural and peasant traditions that would later influence his artistic career. He grew up in a modest family that greatly valued music and the customs of their region.Before fully dedicating himself to music, Velosa showed great interest in studies. He moved to Bogotá to continue his higher education, where he obtained the title of veterinary physician from the National University of Colombia. Although he worked as a veterinarian, he never abandoned his passion for music, which would eventually become his true vocation.
Career
In the 1970s, while working as a veterinarian, Velosa began to investigate the potential of peasant music as a means to express the culture and traditions of his homeland. His interest in folklore drove him to experiment with carranga, a musical genre that blends traditional Andean rhythms with humorous, social, and poetic lyrics that tell the everyday life of Colombian peasants.In 1977, Velosa founded the musical group Los Carrangueros de Ráquira along with José Luis "El Chato" Lagos, Jorge González, and Ramiro Zambrano. With this group, he succeeded in consolidating carranga as a distinctive genre within Colombian music. Los Carrangueros made popular emblematic songs such as "La cucharita," "Julia, Julia, Julia," and "La china que yo tenía," which resonated deeply among peasants and also among urban audiences who appreciated the authenticity of this musical style.
Discography
Los Carrangueros de Ráquira (1979-1992)
- Javier Moreno Forero* – requinto, vocals
- Jorge Luis Velosa* – vocals, riolina, guacharaca
- Félix Ramiro Zambrano* – marcante guitar
- Javier Apráez* - tiple
| Album | Year | Record label |
| Los Carrangueros de Ráquira | 1980 | Fondo Musical |
| ¡Viva quien toca! | 1981 | Fondo Musical |
| Así es la vida | 1982 | Fondo Musical |
Jorge Velosa y Los Hermanos Torres (First Stage: 1984-1988)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, birimbao, guacharaca, riolina
- Delio Torres Ariza* – requinto, vocals
- Argemiro Torres Ariza* – guitar
- Juan de Jesús Torres Camacho* – Tiple
| Album | Year | Record label |
| Pa’ los pies y el corazón | 1984 | FM Discos |
| Con alma, vida y sombrero | 1985 | FM Discos |
| Entre chiste y chanza | 1986 | FM Discos |
| Alegría carranguera | 1987 | FM Discos |
| El que canta sus penas espanta | 1988 | FM Discos |
Jorge Velosa y Los Hermanos Torres (Second Stage: 1989)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca
- Delio Torres* – requinto, tiple, cuatro, clave, vocals
- Argemiro Torres* – guitar
- Francisco Aristizábal* – bongó
Jorge Velosa y Los Hermanos Torres (Third Stage: 1990)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, riolina
- Delio Torres* – requinto, vocals
- Jairo Rincón Gómez* – Tiple, vocals
- Argemiro Torres* – guitar, vocals
Velosa y Los Carrangueros (First Stage: 1992)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, harmonica
- Delio Torres* – requinto, vocals
- Jairo Rincón Gómez* – Tiple
- José Luis Posada Buitrago* – Guitar
Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Second Stage: 1993)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, harmonica
- Delio Torres* – requinto, vocals
- José Luis Posada Buitrago* – Guitar
- Jorge Eliecer González Virviescas* – Tiple
Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Third Stage: 1994-1995)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca
- Luis Alberto Aljure Lis* – Tiple, bandola llanera, vocals
- José Luis Posada Buitrago* – Guitar
- Jorge González Virviescas* – Requinto, vocals
| Album | Year | Record label |
| Revolando en cuadro | 1994 | Fuentes |
| Marcando calavera | 1996 | Fuentes |
Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Fourth Stage: 1996-2003)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, harmonica
- Luis Alberto Aljure Lis* – Tiple, tambor, vocals
- Jorge González Virviescas* – Requinto, vocals
- José Fernando Rivas Gómez* – Guitar, vocals
| Album | Year | Record label |
| En cantos verdes | 1998 | Fuentes |
| Patiboliando | 2002 | MTM |
| Lero, Lero, Candelero | 2003 | MTM |
Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Fifth Stage: 2004-2020)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, riolina, guacharaca
- Jorge González Virviescas* – requinto, vocals
- José Fernando Rivas* – guitar, electric guitar, vocals
- Manuel Cortés González* – Tiple, vocals
| Album | Year | Record label |
| Surungusungo | 2005 | MTM |
| Carranga Sinfónica | 2011 | MTM |
Jorge Velosa y Los Carrangueros del 25 (2024-Current)
- Jorge Velosa* – vocals, riolina, guacharaca
- Marco Villarreal* – requinto
- Gabriel Chaparro* – guitar
- Angélica Fonseca* – Tiple
Compilations
Nominations and Awards
Recognitions
Filmography
Literature
- Sonidos Colombianos. Conversatorio con Velosa y Los Carrangueros. Radio Nacional, 22 de octubre de 2009.