One of Latin America's most influential vocalists, Julio Jaramillo still shapes the work of Latin singers long after his passing. Across a comparatively short two-decade span, he cut thousands of tracks that ranged from boleros, valses, and pasillos to tangos and even rancheras. Among his signature pieces stand "El Alma En Los Labios," "Cinco Centavitos," "Flores Negras," "Guayaquil De Mis Amores," "Rosario De Besos," "Licor Bendito," and, above all, "Nuestro Juramento." Because of these achievements, Jaramillo became a national hero in Ecuador, where his discs continue to occupy jukeboxes throughout his hometown of Guayaquil.
Julio Alfredo Jaramillo Laurido entered the world in Guayaquil in 1935. He took up the guitar in childhood, assembled a trio with companions, and cut his debut number in the early 1950s for a campaign run by the centrist party Concentración de Fuerzas Populares (CFP). Although he performed across Ecuador while still in his teens, he devoted little of his professional life to the country, relocating instead to Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, and Uruguay. He partnered on recordings with leading Latin figures such as Daniel Santos, Olimpo Cárdenas, Alci Acosta, and Pepe Jaramillo; one album with Santos was captured inside a bar, the preferred gathering spot of both artists.
More than ten years after his departure, Jaramillo came back to Ecuador in July 1976 to take part in an anniversary broadcast. His death two years afterward drew vast crowds of Ecuadorans into the streets in widespread grief, and the date of his birth was later designated Día del Pasillo Ecuatoriano, an official national holiday.
