Eliseo Herrera

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Herrera and the second or maternal family name is Junco.

Eliseo Herrera Junco (1925–2016) was a Colombian singer, musician, and songwriter. He wrote over 120 songs and was a member of Los Corraleros de Majagual.

Eliseo Herrera
Birth name	Eliseo Herrera Junco
Born	(1925-06-14)14 June 1925 Cartagena, Colombia
Died	5 March 2016(2016-03-05) (aged 90) Cartagena, Colombia
Children	17

Biography

Herrera was born on 14 June 1925 in Cartagena, Colombia.^[1] His parents were Eufrosina Junco and Genaro Herrera.^[2] As a young man he was a dockworker for Empresa Puertos de Colombia (Colpuertos), from whom he continued to draw a pension later in life.^[1][2]

Herrera started singing in 1940,^[3] and his musical career began with the Sonora Cordobesa.^[4] His first recorded songs were "La Chula" and "La Matica de Mafafa", which were hits on the radio.^[2] In the early 1960s he joined Los Corraleros de Majagual.^[4]

One of Herrera's final performances was at the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Theatre [es] in Bogotá in 2007. He died on 5 March 2016 in Cartagena.^[1]

Personal life

Herrera's partner was Ana Isabel Corpas, with whom he had nine children, the oldest Celmira being born when the couple were around 15.^[2] Herrera simultaneously had a long-term relationship with Romelia Vega, with whom he had six children. He had two other children, for a total of seventeen.^[2]

Musical style and compositions

Herrera wrote over 120 songs in the genre of tropical music,^[3] with notable examples including: "La Burrita", "El Vampiro", "La Adivinanza", "Tamborito de Carnaval", "Tres Tristes Tigres", "Tingo al Tango", "La Yerbita", "La Matica de Mafafa", "Pájaro Picón Picón", "Culebra Cascabel" and "La Bonga".^[4]

Several artists recorded versions of Herrera's compositions, including Wilfrido Vargas, Juan Luis Guerra, and Billo's Caracas Boys. "La Burrita" was recorded by Franck Pourcel and Georges Jouvin [fr].^[4]