Memo Morales

Guillermo Enrique Morales Portillo (6 April 1937 – 1 January 2017) was a Venezuelan singer. Better known as Memo Morales, he was also dubbed as El Gitano Maracucho.

Morales was the main voice of many important orchestras of the country, as were the Luis Alfonzo Larrain and Billo's Caracas Boys popular dance bands.

Career Born into a musical family, Morales started as a child prodigy while attending radio amateur singing contests. In 1945, he went to Caracas, where he participated in "Proarte infantil", in which he interpreted the "Princesita rubia" tango that earned him his first award. working together with other large names such as Cheo García (El Guarachero de América) and José Luis Rodríguez (El Puma), popularizing pasodobles such as "Ni Se Compra, Ni Se Vende" and "Viva España". This progression brought him such huge hits as "Se Necesitan Dos", "Rumores", "Parece Mentira", "El Tunante", "Dámele Betún", "Juanita Bonita", "Qué Tienes Tú", "Eva", "La Rubia y la Trigueña", among many other songs.

In 1976, Morales had a successful tour of concerts as a soloist in the United States, where he performed in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami.

Besides, Morales founded, along with Luisín Landáez, La Nuestra in 1981, and later rejoined with García in 1984 to create La Gran Orquesta de Cheo y Memo. They performed together until Garcia's death in 1994. Morales next to their children William, Alicia, Mariela and Gustavo, covered the Organización Musical Memo Morales, led by his son William (Memito) Morales.

On 1 April 2016, Morales was appointed as an honorary citizen and ambassador of good will from the mayor of the city of Houston, Sylvester Turner, in recognition of his valuable musical contribution to humanity.

Death

On 1 January 2017, at a New Year's Eve concert at the Galician Brotherhood in Caracas at 2:30 am, while on stage, Morales suffered a heart attack. Despite having vital signs in the ambulance, he stopped breathing while being transported to the hospital and was declared dead. Hours earlier, he gave his last full concert in the Military Circle hall in Caracas.