Elberto López
Elberto López | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | El Debe |
| Born | Elberto de Jesús López Gutiérrez[1] 28 December 1950 La Paz, Colombia |
| Died | 21 June 2007 (aged 56) Sincelejo, Colombia |
| Genres | Vallenato |
| Family |
|
Elberto de Jesús López Gutiérrez[a] (1950 – 2007), also known by the nickname El Debe, was a Colombian vallenato accordionist. In 1980 he was crowned vallenato king for winning the professional accordionist competition of the Vallenato Legend Festival.
Biography
López was born on 28 December 1950 in La Paz, in the Colombian department of Cesar (although at that time still in Magdalena).[2] He was one of 14 children of Pablo Rafael López Gutiérrez, and his siblings include the accordionists Miguel, Alfonso, and Silene López, and the caja player Pablo López.[1][3]
López started playing accordion at the age of 14.[4] In 1980 he won the professional accordionist competition of the Vallenato Legend Festival and was crowned vallenato king (Spanish: rey vallenato).[3] It was his first time performing at the festival, and he was accompanied by Omar Castilla on guacharaca and Efraín López on caja.[1]
Later in his career, López recorded with vallenato singers including Diomedes Díaz, Miguel Herrera, and Freddy Andrade.[5] He had particular success with Díaz, with whom he released the LPs Tres Canciones and De Frente in 1977.[1][6] He was also a member of the vallenato group Los Hermanos López, alongside Jorge Oñate and his brothers Miguel and Pablo Rafael.[7]
López died on 21 June 2007 in Sincelejo, and was buried the next day in La Paz.[5]
Notes
- ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Gutiérrez.
References
- ^ a b c d Marcos Fidel Vega Seña (2005). "Galería de reyes". Vallenato: Cultura y Sentimiento (in Spanish). Bogotá: Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. p. 39. ISBN 958-8205-69-7.
- ^ ""El Debe" López el acordeonero de 'la ventana marroncita'" ["El Debe" López accordionist on 'la ventana marroncita'], RCN Radio (in Spanish)
- ^ a b Infante Moreno (3 May 1980), "'Debe' López, nuevo 'Rey Vallenato'", El Tiempo (in Spanish), p. 12-A, retrieved 5 November 2025
- ^ "Vallenatos lamentan la muerte de Elberto 'El Debe' López" [Vallenatos mourn the death of Elberto 'El Debe' López], El Tiempo (in Spanish), 22 June 2007, retrieved 5 November 2025
- ^ a b Oscar Martínez Ortiz (22 June 2007), "Murió Elberto 'El Debe' López, rey vallenato de 1980" [Elberto 'El Debe' López, vallenato king in 1980, has died], El Tiempo (in Spanish), retrieved 5 November 2025
- ^ Victor Manuel García (26 May 1995), "Me gusta no vienes Díaz", El Tiempo (in Spanish), retrieved 5 November 2025
- ^ Luis Ortiz (12 September 2023), "Murió Miguel López, reconocido acordeonero, uno de los primeros en ser nombrado rey vallenato y fórmula de Jorge Oñate" [Miguel López, renowned accordion player, one of the first to be named king of Vallenato and partner of Jorge Oñate, has died], Infobae (in Spanish), retrieved 5 November 2025
External links
- Elberto López discography at Discogs