Felipe Pirela
Felipe Antonio Pirela Morón (born September 4, 1941 in Maracaibo , † July 2, 1972 in San Juan ), called " El bolerista de América ", was a Venezuelan singer.
In 1954 Pirela founded the band Los Happy Boys with two siblings and friends , with whom he played in bars and clubs in his hometown. In 1958 he appeared in the television program La Puerta de la Fama with the orchestra of Juanito Arteta , in 1959 he became a singer in Jorge Beltráns Los Peniques , where he met the singers Victor Piñero , Chico Salas , Ada Vizuet and Tony Izaguirre, among others .
In 1960 Billo Frómeta engaged him for his Billo's Caracas Boys , with whom he had numerous appearances and made recordings. In 1963 he separated from Frometa's orchestra and signed a contract with José Pagé 's Velvet label , recording his first LP with Chucho Rodríguez 's orchestra in Mexico, entitled Un solo Camino: México . This earned him the title El Bolerista de América .
This was followed by concert tours through Latin America and the USA, appearances on radio, television and film as well as many other recordings.
On July 2, 1972, Pirela was murdered by a dealer for drug debt. By then he had recorded almost 300 songs on 41 records. His life became the subject of the play with singing La última voluntad de Felipe Pirela by Paúl Salazar Rivas .
Web links
- Felipe Pirela - on "Historias de música" (with discography)
- Biografía de Felipe Pirela - on "Buena música"
- La última voluntad de Felipe Pirela - an article about the play on the Venezuelan state internet broadcaster albaciudad.org
Individual notes
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Pirela, Felipe |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pirela Morón, Felipe Antonio (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Venezuelan singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 4, 1941 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Maracaibo |
DATE OF DEATH | 2nd July 1972 |
Place of death | San Juan |