# Jorge Velosa

Jorge Luis Velosa Ruiz (Ráquira, Boyacá; October 6, 1949) is a distinguished Colombian singer-songwriter, professor, actor, and writer, recognized as one of the leading exponents and initiators of carranguera music.
Graduated from the National University of Colombia as a veterinary physician, Velosa chose to fully dedicate himself to music and literature with a carranguero flavor.

## History
### Early Years and Childhood

Jorge Luis Velosa Ruiz was born on October 6, 1949, in Ráquira, a municipality in the Boyacá department, Colombia. From his childhood, he was surrounded by rural and peasant traditions that would later influence his artistic career. He grew up in a modest family that greatly valued music and the customs of their region.

### Academic Formation

Before fully dedicating himself to music, Velosa showed great interest in studies. He moved to Bogotá to continue his higher education, where he obtained the title of veterinary physician from the National University of Colombia. Although he worked as a veterinarian, he never abandoned his passion for music, which would eventually become his true vocation.

### Beginnings in Music

In the 1970s, while working as a veterinarian, Velosa began to investigate the potential of peasant music as a means to express the culture and traditions of his homeland. His interest in folklore drove him to experiment with carranga, a musical genre that blends traditional Andean rhythms with humorous, social, and poetic lyrics that tell the everyday life of Colombian peasants.

### Creation of Carranga

In 1977, Jorge Velosa founded the musical group Los Carrangueros de Ráquira along with José Luis "El Chato" Lagos, Jorge González, and Ramiro Zambrano. With this group, he succeeded in consolidating carranga as a distinctive genre within Colombian music. Los Carrangueros made popular emblematic songs such as "La cucharita," "Julia, Julia, Julia," and "La china que yo tenía," which resonated deeply among peasants and also among urban audiences who appreciated the authenticity of this musical style.

## Discography
### Los Carrangueros de Ráquira (1979-1992)

* Javier Moreno Forero* – requinto, vocals
* Jorge Luis Velosa* – vocals, riolina, guacharaca
* Félix Ramiro Zambrano* – marcante guitar
* Javier Apráez* - tiple
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| Los Carrangueros de Ráquira | 1980 | Fondo Musical |
| ¡Viva quien toca! | 1981 | Fondo Musical |
| Así es la vida | 1982 | Fondo Musical |

### Jorge Velosa y Los Hermanos Torres (First Stage: 1984-1988)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, birimbao, guacharaca, riolina
* Delio Torres Ariza* – requinto, vocals
* Argemiro Torres Ariza* – guitar
* Juan de Jesús Torres Camacho* – Tiple
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| Pa’ los pies y el corazón | 1984 | FM Discos |
| Con alma, vida y sombrero | 1985 | FM Discos |
| Entre chiste y chanza | 1986 | FM Discos |
| Alegría carranguera | 1987 | FM Discos |
| El que canta sus penas espanta | 1988 | FM Discos |

### Jorge Velosa y Los Hermanos Torres (Second Stage: 1989)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca
* Delio Torres* – requinto, tiple, cuatro, clave, vocals
* Argemiro Torres* – guitar
* Francisco Aristizábal* – bongó
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| A ojo cerrado | 1989 | FM Discos |

### Jorge Velosa y Los Hermanos Torres (Third Stage: 1990)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, riolina
* Delio Torres* – requinto, vocals
* Jairo Rincón Gómez* – Tiple, vocals
* Argemiro Torres* – guitar, vocals
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| De mil amores | 1990 | FM Discos |

### Velosa y Los Carrangueros (First Stage: 1992)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, harmonica
* Delio Torres* – requinto, vocals
* Jairo Rincón Gómez* – Tiple
* José Luis Posada Buitrago* – Guitar
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| Harina de otro costal | 1992 | Fuentes |

### Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Second Stage: 1993)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, harmonica
* Delio Torres* – requinto, vocals
* José Luis Posada Buitrago* – Guitar
* Jorge Eliecer González Virviescas* – Tiple
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| Sobando la pita | 1993 | Fuentes |

### Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Third Stage: 1994-1995)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca
* Luis Alberto Aljure Lis* – Tiple, bandola llanera, vocals
* José Luis Posada Buitrago* – Guitar
* Jorge González Virviescas* – Requinto, vocals
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| Revolando en cuadro | 1994 | Fuentes |
| Marcando calavera | 1996 | Fuentes |

### Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Fourth Stage: 1996-2003)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, guacharaca, harmonica
* Luis Alberto Aljure Lis* – Tiple, tambor, vocals
* Jorge González Virviescas* – Requinto, vocals
* José Fernando Rivas Gómez* – Guitar, vocals
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| En cantos verdes | 1998 | Fuentes |
| Patiboliando | 2002 | MTM |
| Lero, Lero, Candelero | 2003 | MTM |

### Velosa y Los Carrangueros (Fifth Stage: 2004-2020)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, riolina, guacharaca
* Jorge González Virviescas* – requinto, vocals
* José Fernando Rivas* – guitar, electric guitar, vocals
* Manuel Cortés González* – Tiple, vocals
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| Surungusungo | 2005 | MTM |
| Carranga Sinfónica | 2011 | MTM |

### Jorge Velosa y Los Carrangueros del 25 (2024-Current)

* Jorge Velosa* – vocals, riolina, guacharaca
* Marco Villarreal* – requinto
* Gabriel Chaparro* – guitar
* Angélica Fonseca* – Tiple
| Album | Year | Record Label |
| El carrango y la carranga (Song) | 2024 | NMC |

### Compilations

| Compilation | Year | Record Label |
| Las clásicas con Los Hermanos Torres y Los Carrangueros de Ráquira | 1990 | FM |
| Una historia carranguera | 2000 | FM |
| Historia Musical del Carranguero Mayor | 2001 | Fuentes |

## Nominations and Awards

| Year | Nominated by | Award or Category | Result |
| 1995 | Premio Nacional de Cultura "Luis A. Calvo" | Best Traditional Music Artist | Winner |
| 2000 | Premio de la Música Colombia | Best Carranga Album | Winner |
| 2001 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Folk Music Album | Nominated |
| 2010 | Premio a la Excelencia Musical | Recognition for Cultural Contribution | Winner |
| 2015 | Viña del Mar Festival | Silver Gaviota (Best International Artist) | Winner |
| 2018 | Order of Boyacá | Recognition for Contribution to Traditional Music | Winner |
| 2002 | Billboard Latin Music Awards | Best Folk Music Album | Nominated |
| 2010 | Shock Awards | Best Traditional Music Song | Nominated |
| 2014 | Latin Music Awards | Best Carranga Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2016 | Caribbean Music Award | Best Traditional Music Artist | Nominated |

## Recognitions

| Year | Recognition | Awarded by |
| 1997 | Order of Freedom | Awarded by the Department of Boyacá in recognition of his cultural contribution. |
| 2000 | Children's Song in Bolivia | One of his children's songs was officially chosen to aid in the teaching of Spanish in indigenous communities of Bolivia. |
| No specified | National Excellence in Arts and Sciences Award | Awarded by the National University of Colombia and its Alumni Association in recognition of his career. |
| 2008 | Gonzalo Suárez Rendón Decoration (Grand Gold Collar) | Received by the Mayor of Tunja on Farmers' Day, recognizing his cultural work. |
| 1994 | Baptism of Frog Species | Biologist John Lynch named two frog species in his honor: Pristimantis carranguerorum and Pristimantis jorgevelosai, belonging to the Strabomantidae family. |
| 2012 | Honorary Doctorate (National University of Colombia) | Received in recognition of his cultural and artistic contribution. |
| 2023 | Honorary Doctorate in Language and Culture (UPTC) | Awarded by the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (UPTC) in recognition of his impact on culture and language. |

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Character | First Broadcast |
| 1982 | Don Chinche | Florentino Bautista 'don Floro' | Cadena Uno (1987-1992) / RTVC PLAY Streaming Platform |
| 1987–1992 | Romeo y Buseta | Trino Epaminondas Tuta | Cadena Uno (1987-1992) / RTVC PLAY Streaming Platform |
| 1988 | Sumercé Estéreo | José del Carmen Romero / Trino Epaminondas Tuta | Radio Station |
| 1993–1994 | Los Tuta | Trino Epaminondas Tuta | Señal Colombia (1993-1994) / RTVC PLAY Streaming Platform |

## Literature

| Year | Title | Publisher |
| 1983 | La cucharita y no sé qué más: historias para cantar | Carlos Valencia Editores |
| 2021 | El convite de los animales | Editorial Monigote |
| 2023 | Abuelo de pájaro | Editorial Monigote |
| 2024 | Historiando mi cantar. Un viaje por la carranga | Editorial Monigote |
* Sonidos Colombianos (Realización: José Perilla). Conversatorio con Velosa y Los Carrangueros. Radio Nacional (RTVC), 22 de octubre de 2009.