Born in Montería, Córdoba, Colombia, on October 14, 1970, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jorge Villamizar spent his early childhood there before his family relocated to Quito, Ecuador, when he turned ten. The Beatles and Andean folk traditions shaped his musical outlook during this period. A Soda Stereo performance he attended in Quito at fifteen made a permanent impact and prompted him to begin creating his own music. After returning to Colombia at eighteen, he enlisted in the Navy and filled his free hours writing songs and practicing guitar. He later spent time studying in London before settling in Miami in 1992.
While enrolled at the University of Miami in the mid-1990s, Villamizar started the rock en español group Bacilos alongside fellow students André Lopes on bass and José Javier Freire on percussion. The band issued its first full-length recording, the independent album Madera, in 1999. A contract with Warner Music Latina soon followed, yielding the albums Bacilos in 2000, Caraluna in 2002, and Sin Vergüenza in 2004, along with the 2006 greatest-hits set Grandes Exitos. Bacilos collected several Latin Grammy awards and notched hit singles that included “Tabaco y Chanel,” “Caraluna,” “Mi Primer Millón,” “Pasos de Gigante,” and “Contigo Se Va.”
Villamizar also lent his songwriting skills to outside projects, collaborating on material with Marc Anthony on “Viviendo,” Obie Bermúdez on “Así Me Siento Hoy,” Julieta Venegas on “Limón y Sal,” and additional artists, as well as contributing multiple tracks to Paulina Rubio’s 2004 album Pau-Latina. After Bacilos disbanded in 2007, he launched his solo career with the Warner Music Latina release Jorge Villamizar in 2008, which featured the single “Ninguna” and a duet with Julieta Venegas titled “Dime Quien.”
