José María Ramos

José María Ramos
Birth nameJosé María Ramos Rodríguez
Also known asChema Ramos, El Décimo
Born(1948-10-28)28 October 1948
Urumita, Colombia
Died25 September 2020(2020-09-25) (aged 71)
Floridablanca, Colombia
GenresVallenato

José María Ramos Rodríguez[a] (1948–2020), also known as Chema Ramos, was a Colombian accordionist. He won the accordionist competition of the Vallenato Legend Festival in 1977 at the age of 28.

Biography

Early life

Ramos was born on 28 October 1948 in Urumita, in the Colombian department of La Guajira.[1] His grandfather was a musician, and his father José María Ramos Rojas taught him to play accordion.[2]

The Vallenato Legend Festival and later career

In 1976 Ramos won the semi-professional accordionist competition of the Vallenato Legend Festival.[3] In 1977 he won the professional accordionist competition, accompanied by Simón Herrera on caja and Abel Suárez on guacharaca,[4] defeating several competitors including Alberto Muegues, Miguel Ahumada, Ramón Vargas, Raúl "Chiche" Martínez, Rafael Salas, and Juancho Polo Valencia.[5] Ramos was 28 at the time, which made him the youngest winner of the competition until Saúl Lallemand won aged 19 in 1998.[2] Because he was the tenth winner of the competition, he was given the nickname "El Décimo".[6]

Following his win, Ramos played in the conjunto of Carlos Lleras Araújo, and also recorded with artists including Iván Villazón, Poncho Zuleta, Silvio Brito, and Fabián Corrales.[1] He later formed a group called Las Glorias del Vallenato, with whom he was still playing at the Casa de la Cultura in Valledupar in 2016.[5][2]

Family and death

Ramos was married to Emilia Mercedes Navarro, with whom he had six sons and one daughter.[2] His eldest son José María "Chemita" Ramos Navarro won the accordionist competition of the Vallenato Legend Festival in 2000.[1] His son Edward José is an accordionist, and his son Alí José has played guacharaca with singers including Jorge Oñate, Diomedes Díaz, Fabián Corrales, and Jorge Celedón.[2]

Ramos died in hospital in Floridablanca on 25 September 2020.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ramos and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Murió José María 'Chema' Ramos, rey vallenato" [José María 'Chema' Ramos, vallenato king, has died], El Espectador (in Spanish), 26 September 2020, retrieved 16 June 2025
  2. ^ a b c d e f Liliana Martínez Polo (25 September 2020), "Falleció el rey vallenato 1977, José María 'Chema' Ramos" [The 1977 vallenato king, José María 'Chema' Ramos, has died], El Tiempo (in Spanish), retrieved 16 June 2025
  3. ^ Marcos Fidel Vega Seña (2005). "Los reyes en su reinado". Vallenato: Cultura y Sentimiento (in Spanish). Bogotá: Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. pp. 39–40. ISBN 958-8205-69-7.
  4. ^ "Murió José María "Chema" Ramos, el rey vallenato de 1977" [José María "Chema" Ramos, vallenato king of 1977, has died], El Colombiano (in Spanish), 26 September 2020, retrieved 16 June 2025
  5. ^ a b "Colombia despide a dos grandes" [Colombia bids farewell to two greats], Radio Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish), 28 September 2020, retrieved 16 June 2025
  6. ^ Jonathan Diaz (26 September 2020), "Murió el Rey Vallenato José María 'Chema' Ramos" [Vallenato king José María 'Chema' Ramos has died], El Heraldo (in Spanish), retrieved 16 June 2025
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