Simón Díaz

Simón Díaz, ( “Tío Simón” [“Uncle Simon”]), Venezuelan singer, composer, and actor (born Aug. 8, 1928, Barbacoas, Aragua, Venez.—died Feb. 19, 2014, Caracas, Venez.), was hailed as a national hero for having led the revival of música llanera (songs of the pampas or plains) with more than 200 lyrical compositions that he recorded on more than 70 albums. One of his best-known tunes, “Caballo viejo” (1980), about an older man smitten with a younger woman, served as the inspiration for the Gipsy Kings’ global smash hit “Bamboléo” and was covered by such artists as Julio Iglesias, Celia Cruz, Plácido Domingo, and Ry Cooder, among others. While he was growing up on the plains, Díaz began to study music and learned to sing and play the four-stringed guitarlike cuatro, which, together with maracas and a small Venezuelan harp, provided the instrumentation for música llanera. He was identified particularly with tonadas, Spanish-influenced melodies that were originally sung to cows during milking. Díaz also became a cherished radio broadcaster and television host, particularly while starring on the TV program Contesta por Tío Simón, on which he engagingly presented popular culture to children. In addition, he appeared in numerous plays and films. In 1998 the Venezuelan government honoured Díaz with the Gran Cordón of the Orden del Libertador and in 2008 he was the recipient of a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.