Ecuador Music: Julio Jaramillo "Nuestro Juramento"

By Russell Maddicks
A good friend told me I can't write about Ecuadorian music without mentioning Julio Jaramillo (1935-1978), known to his fans as "El Ruiseñor de America" (The Nightingale of the Americas).
Born in Guayaquil, Jaramillo became a household name in Latin America in the 1950s and 1960s, eventually settling down in Venezuela and touring widely with a repertoire of romantic boleros and waltzes.
He also did much to promote Ecuador's home-grown pasillos, sad, nostalgic ballads that locals refer to as "corta venas" (vein-cutters).
His own short life was a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of wine, women and song before he returned to Guayaquil in 1975, dying after complications from a gallstones operation in 1978. He was only 42.
He left his millions of fans across Latin America heartbroken, and 27 children to fight over his estate.
"Nuestro Juramento" (Our Oath) is his most enduring hit. The video comes from a biopic of his life.
You can find the full length biopic of Julio Jaramillo's life on Youtube here: