Learn about the tributes that will be paid to Jorge Oñate in the 55th version of the Vallenata Legend Festival

“The festival begins, they came to invite me; the provincials who study with me are leaving. Yesterday afternoon when they returned, I preferred to refuse, so as not to have to trust anyone with my motives”, says Silvio Brito in the song 'Sentimental Ausence', the same one that has become an anthem of the Vallenata Legend Festival which, in its 55th edition, will pay tribute to Jorge Oñate.

After the death of the 'Goldfinch of America' was announced on February 28, 2021, the festival's founding decreed that, in its next edition, it would be honored for its contributions to vallenato music with a total of 50 productions made throughout his artistic career.

One of those recognitions will be seen in the Rey de Reyes competition, where the postulates will have to perform a song recorded by Oñate, who just honored the most important event of box, guacharaca and accordion music in the world: 'Festival Vallenato', was called the album he released in 1969 in the company of the accordionero Emilio Oviedo.

'Cultural Hermitage', was the last album recorded by the so-called 'Nightingale del Cesar' in 2015, under the accordion of Álvaro López, crowned King of Kings and who alongside Diomedes Díaz in his latest musical works.

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A brief review of the Oñate trasegar at the Vallenato Festival

His first intervention at the Vallenata Legend Festival was in 1972, when he was the voice of accordionist Miguel Antonio López Gutiérrez, who accompanied him on the path of adapting his voice to his instrument. On that occasion, he sang the walk 'Qué dolor', authored by Luis Enrique Martínez; 'Dina López', a merengue composed by Vicente Munive; the son 'Wealth is not the silver', by Francisco 'Pacho' Rada, and Juan Muñoz's puja, 'La vieja Gabriela'.

20 years later, he did the same task but together with his son, Álvaro López, also with the four airs: for the puja, he performed 'The Bird of My Grandfather', authored by Romualdo Brito; by son, he sang 'Pueblo Vallenato' by Miguel Herrera. For a walk, he intervened with 'La Loma' by Samuel Martínez, and the merengue 'Rosita', by Luis Enrique Martínez. In both editions, father and son won the crown.

In turn, Oñate himself had declared on several occasions that “I was born with the Vallenato Festival, the best festival in the world, I say this with pride. The Vallenato Festival brings poetry, brings accordion and brings singing.” In fact, it was planned to pay tribute to him in the 53rd edition as 'La Leyenda', when it was 2020. On that occasion, the arrival of the pandemic in the country forced the postponement of the Festival, which was also going to pay tribute to the guajiro composer, Rosendo Romero.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that registrations for the various events corresponding to the 55th version of the Vallenata Legend Festival, 5th King of Reyes in tribute to Jorge Oñate, 'La Leyenda', will be open until Thursday, April 7th and will be received in person or by email. It should also be noted that, for this year, the winner of the best voice contest will be awarded the 'Jorge Oñate Trophy, la leyenda' and with an economic incentive, this category being a novelty within the competition that will run from 26 to 30 April in the land of cacique Upar.

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