The abbreviation “Rafa” belongs to all those individuals who received the name of Rafael in the baptismal font, but in the popular coastal jargon of our country it is the short and affectionate way of calling them.
In our case, El Orozco, refers to the Vallenato singer-songwriter immolated on June 11, 1992, Rafael José Orozco Maestre, 31 years ago. And the article “el” denotes the last name that distinguishes it from some folkloric representatives that our accordion music has. Among them, and mainly, the maestro Rafael Escalona, the composer Rafael Manjarrez, the accordion player Rafael Ricardo, and even in the contemporary wave of vallenato, the singer Rafael Pérez.
THE BEGINNING
Rafael Orozco, was born in the municipality of Becerril, Cesar, the son of Rafael Orozco and Cristina Maestre. He grew up among the humility and strength of a working family, so much so that he sold water on a peculiar donkey, “El ñato”, to which he alluded when he shared anecdotes with his friends and colleagues. Another peculiarity of Rafa, is that the old people of Becerril say, that Cristina Maestre, while pregnant, heard the song of a Doroy, a huge snake that inhabits the river currents in winter time, and that upon hearing its song, the woman gives birth to a singing son, according to research by folklorologist Tomás Darío Gutiérrez.
MUSICAL CAREER
He played the guacharaca and ventured into singing with the accordion player Luciano Poveda, during his student days, but professionally it was Emilio Oviedo, better known popularly as El Comandante, with whom he recorded two Long Duration for the Codiscos label, in 1975. Of them , the success was “Cariñito de mi vida” a song that launches the late Diomedes Diaz to stardom, as a composer.
THE GOLDEN PAIRING IS BORN
The most popularized theory has been that of the meeting between Rafael Orozco and Israel Romero, on the birthday of Lenín Bueno Suárez, journalist and composer, in the city of Barranquilla, but other reviews are also used, such as that it was Fernando Meneses, better known as the distinguished composer of El Binomio de Oro, who introduced them, since he lived in the same building where Israel Romero lived, in Barranquilla.
AN ORGANIZATION
The Binomio de Oro, means Binomial of the Romero – Orozco Organization, and was considered a musical and administrative company in all aspects. The Binomio was characterized by its discipline and fulfillment of commitments, the only one that was missing was the one scheduled for Yopal, Casanare, the weekend after the singer’s murder. On the other hand, the plant of musicians had a payroll. It was obligatorily forbidden to drink alcohol in the presentations, and the practice of soccer was the way to dissipate the time of the musicians in recording or before and after any presentation, since their leaders were soccer fans, especially Rafa de su Junior from Barranquilla .
In addition, the Binomio distinguished itself by handling uniforms that denoted neatness and respect for its public. It is said that they followed the models of great international orchestras such as Los Melódicos, La Billo’s, La Sonora Matancera and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.
DISCOGRAPHY
The Binomio de Oro recorded sixteen albums, from 1976 to 1992. Their songs were distinguished for dealing with the romantic feeling, characteristic of the time that vallenato was going through in its evolution, but they never neglected folk songs. For this reason, composers such as Hernando Marín (La Creciente), Fernando Meneses (Momentos de Amor), Gustavo Gutiérrez (I don’t know how to ask for forgiveness), Iván Ovalle (Love is bigger than me), Efrén Calderón (What will be of me) stood out. , Beto Murgas (La Negra), Roberto Calderón (We had finished), Israel Romero himself (Cha cun chá) and even Rafa, with three songs, but mainly, ‘Only for you’, which catapulted him to immortality.
THE LEGEND
Rafa, el Orozco, stood out in many aspects, but mainly his image was far from more folkloric models, in the same way his group along with Israel Romero, marked a milestone in Vallenato history by implanting melodies with the incorporation of new instruments to the Vallenato trilogy. It should be noted that they were distinguished several times with the Congo de Oro, of the Barranquilla Carnival, especially in 1989 with ‘Qué será de mí’, by Efrén Calderón, when Curramba did not stop chanting the theme that altered the rules of the contest for public request. In addition, they were awarded in Venezuela at the International Orchid Festival. We also highlight the distinction of Israel Romero as Best Accordion Player in the World, a prize awarded by the University of Maryland (USA) in 1988.
Like many great artists who start off at the peak of their career, Rafel Orozco was murdered at the age of 38, a particularity that makes him retain a jovial and media image that has allowed him not only to perpetuate himself with his music, but also to his memory remains intact in the public. The unexpected way in which he started from him made his sixteen years of artistic career consecrate him as an idol of multitudes beyond the mundane sphere.
Today, the memory of Rafa, el Orozco, is constantly updated with his music and through his followers, who pay tribute through various groups of admirers, fans, imitators. With books dedicated to his memory and even monuments, like the one on display in his homeland. Likewise, it has new audiences, coming from the inheritance of other generations that remember his work, and that with his perseverance have made the character a legend of Vallenato music.
BY: MÓNICA MERCEDES CASTILLO RIOS