Throwback Thursday 12/9 – Julio Jaramilo

This week’s Throwback Thursday post is going to take us way back. This week we’re talking about the legendary Julio Jaramilo.

Julio Jaramilo was born in October 1935 in Ecuador and is one of the most beloved artists in Ecuadorian history. Having a penchant for music from a young age, Julio built his own guitar out of bamboo so that he could practice. He officially began his musical career around the age of 17.

His career didn’t exactly explode from there. He worked as a shoemaker for a period of time, but never gave up on his dream. Between 1954 and 1960 he toured South America, generating a fanbase for himself. However, past troubles in Ecuador would catch up to him when he returned to Ecuador in 1960. He was subsequently arrested and forced into military service. He career continued and he rose to unheard of levels of fame in Ecuador.

When Jaramilo passed away at the age of 42 in 1978, his funeral drew 250,000 Ecuadorians. Since 1993, his birthday has been celebrated in Ecuador as a national holiday.

This week’s song is arguably Jaramilo’s most popular and famous. We’re talking about “Nuestro Juramento”. The title of the track translates to “Our Promise”. It’s a song about promising to love beyond death. Death is not the end of their love. The lyrics are a bit intense in their description of commitment to one another. To me, the closing lines are the most striking. “If you die first, I’ll write the story of our love in ink with the blood of my heart”. Wow. What a line.

From 1957, “Nuestro Juramento”.

For last week’s Throwback Thursday post, click here.