Memo Morales

Guillermo Enrique Morales Portillo (6 April 1937 – 1 January 2017) was a Venezuelan singer. Better known as Memo Morales, he was also dubbed as El Gitano Maracucho.[1][2][3]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Morales and the second or maternal family name is Portillo.
Memo Morales
Memo Morales in 2010
Background information
Birth nameGuillermo Enrique Morales Portillo
Also known asMemo Morales
Born(1937-04-06)6 April 1937
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Died1 January 2017(2017-01-01) (aged 79)
Caracas, Venezuela
GenresTropical bailable, Música Española, Gaita Pasadobles, Rumba Flamenca, Boleros Morunos
Occupation(s)Singer

Morales was the main voice of many important orchestras of the country, as were the Luis Alfonzo Larrain and Billo's Caracas Boys popular dance bands.[4][5]

Career

Born into a musical family, Morales started as a child prodigy while attending radio amateur singing contests. In 1945, he went to Caracas, where he participated in "Proarte infantil", in which he interpreted the "Princesita rubia" tango that earned him his first award.[2]

Morales began his professional musical career in 1953 as a crooner for the Garrido y sus Solistas band. In 1954, he moved to Caracas and worked there until 1958 with Juanito Arteta and his Orchestra.

In 1958, Morales joined the Carlos Torres band, and from 1959 to 1960 was the lead singer of the aforementioned Larraín orchestra. Afterwards, he was a member of the Pedroza y sus Caciques and Hermanos Salani orchestras between 1961 and 1964.

In between, Morales sang to former Venezuelan president Marcos Pérez Jiménez, when he celebrated one of his birthdays in the Military Circle of Caracas and the Summit of El Ávila (today El Ávila National Park), as well as when the Hotel Humboldt opened in the mid-1950s. On that occasion Morales sang for thirty consecutive days for the first visitors of the then novel construction.[4]

In 1964, Morales joined the Billo's Caracas Boys,[6] working together with other large names such as Cheo García (El Guarachero de América) and José Luis Rodríguez (El Puma), popularizing pasodobles such as "Ni Se Compra, Ni Se Vende" and "Viva España". This progression brought him such huge hits as "Se Necesitan Dos", "Rumores", "Parece Mentira", "El Tunante", "Dámele Betún", "Juanita Bonita", "Qué Tienes Tú", "Eva", "La Rubia y la Trigueña", among many other songs.

In 1976, Morales had a successful tour of concerts as a soloist in the United States, where he performed in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami.

Besides, Morales founded, along with Luisín Landáez, La Nuestra in 1981, and later rejoined with García in 1984 to create La Gran Orquesta de Cheo y Memo. They performed together until Garcia's death in 1994. Morales next to their children William, Alicia, Mariela and Gustavo, covered the Organización Musical Memo Morales, led by his son William (Memito) Morales.

On 1 April 2016, Morales was appointed as an honorary citizen and ambassador of good will from the mayor of the city of Houston, Sylvester Turner, in recognition of his valuable musical contribution to humanity.

Death
The certificate presented to Memo Morales.

On 1 January 2017, at a New Year's Eve concert at the Galician Brotherhood in Caracas at 2:30 am, while on stage, Morales suffered a heart attack. Despite having vital signs in the ambulance, he stopped breathing while being transported to the hospital and was declared dead. Hours earlier, he gave his last full concert in the Military Circle hall in Caracas.[7][8]

References
  1. "Memo Morales falleció durante un show en la Hermandad Gallega". www.elinformador.com.ve (in Spanish). 1 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  2. "Memo Morales, una voz que trasciende generaciones". globovision.com. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  3. "Memo Morales, su voz y su historia". Onda La Superestación. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  4. Johan M. Ramírez (17 February 2008). "Memo Morales: "Todavía sueño que estoy cantando con la Billo's"". eluniversal.com. Revista Estampas. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. "Memo Morales celebra 55 años de éxitos". revistadominical.com.ve. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  6. "Memo Morales y Estelita del Llano rendirán homenaje a Billo Frómeta". Contrapunto.com. 9 November 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  7. Peña, Roxana (2 January 2017). "Hija de "Memo" Morales: Antes de subirse a la tarima le dio un beso a mi mamá". Panorama (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  8. "Memo Morales, "el Gitano de Maracucho", el popular cantante venezolano que murió tras dar un concierto de Año Nuevo en Venezuela". BBC Mundo (in Spanish). 2 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
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