Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Colombia
Music • Historical Archive • 🇨🇴 Colombia • 0 views

José Barros 🇨🇴

José Benito Barros Palomino (Known as "The Minstrel of the Bank")
Master Folkloric Composer, Minstrel of El Banco, Creator of La Piragua and Momposina
Born 1915-03-21 🇨🇴 El Banco, Magdalena, Colombia
Passed Away 2007-05-12 Santa Marta, Colombia
Lifespan 92 years old
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"My grandparents told me that long ago, on the river of the homeland, sailed a piragua..."

Archival Overview

Supreme folkloric composer from El Banco whose iconic cumbia 'La Piragua' ('Me contaron los abuelos que hace tiempo...') is revered as the greatest and most beloved musical hymn in Colombian history.

Biographical Record

José Benito Barros Palomino was born on March 21, 1915, in the river port of El Banco on the Magdalena River. Traveling as a wandering minstrel with his guitar across Colombia, Panama, Mexico, and Argentina, Barros composed over 800 songs across varied genres: cumbia, porro, bolero, and pasillo.

In 1969, Barros composed his immortal masterpiece La Piragua, narrating the legendary dugout canoe voyages of Guillermo Cubillos along the Cesar and Magdalena rivers. In 1970, he founded the National Cumbia Festival in El Banco. Decorated with the Order of the Congress of Colombia, his music remains the beating heart of riverine Colombian folklore.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
El Banco Municipal Cemetery
El Banco, Magdalena, Colombia
GPS: 9.0000, -73.9700
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