Tulio Enrique León

Tulio Enrique León (October 11, 1938 ‒ March 18, 1982) was a Venezuelan organist, composer, and arranger. Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, he would become one of Venezuela's most popular artists and came to be known as El Artista del Teclado (the Artist of the Keyboard).

Biography
Tulio Enrique Leon's parents were Natividad Ordonez del Castillo and Tulio Enrique León Gonzalez.

Tulio Enrique was attracted to music from an early age when he used to create, according to him, turntables, making a cornet from cardboard, on which he put a sewing machine needle, sliding on a record, to get sound.

In 1947, after his eyesight was examined in the United States by Spanish ophthalmologist Ramón Castroviejo, he was diagnosed with blindness due to optic nerve atrophy. The doctor, considering the irreversibility of the disease, recommended that he use the money for the surgery to buy a piano and learn to play. Having done this, Tulio Enrique's confidence was restored and the doors to his musical career were thus opened.

Tulio Enrique's obsession was playing the organ, as he frequently listened to Radio Caracas, where he often heard the Panamanian organist Salvador Muñoz. He decided to sell the piano, acquiring a Hammond organ and devoted himself to its study and practice.

Musical career
In 1961, Tulio Enrique traveled to Caracas and performed on Venevision without any artistic references or other recommendation, after auditioning. He was hired to debut in a musical called Show de Show (Show of Shows) playing a tune that his audience always asked for: Rio Manzanares. With his success in the capital, a new Venezuelan artist was born with a bright and promising artistic career in music. El Show de Renny (The Renny Show), La Feria de la Alegria (The Happiness Fair), Sábado Sensacional (Sensational Saturday) were some of the programs that helped boost the career of this Zuliano citizen. The hit songs from Tulio Enrique León made him an international star. He signed as an exclusive artist of Discomoda label, achieving the ranking of number 61 among the 100 best artists in the world, according to Billboard's April 17, 1965 world charts.

Hits
Tulio Enrique's success traveled the world, he was an idol not only in his native country, but also beyond. In Argentina he contracted with the Odeon label to record several albums. Hits like La Pollera Amarilla (The Yellow Skirt), Ron y Tabaco (Rum and Tobacco), El Cable Submarino (The Submarine Cable), La Pegajosa (The Sticky), Este es el Ritmo (This is the Rhythm) and others, captivated those who listened. Audiences in the Americas, Asia and Europe enjoyed the songs performed by León during his musical career in his short lifetime.

Legacy
Tulio Enrique León's music has had significant influence in the cumbia genre. His records and songs are popular with DJs who specialize in tropical music. The Mexican neo-cumbia band Sonido Gallo Negro has covered several songs by León.