José Luis Rodríguez “El Puma”: Biography and Career
José Luis Rodríguez González: Biography
Early Life and Family
José Luis Rodríguez González, known artistically as El Puma, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 14, 1943. His father, a businessman, passed away when José Luis was only six years old. He is the youngest of eleven children. Due to political reasons, his mother, Ana Rodríguez González, was forced into exile in Guayaquil, Ecuador, for two years. He has three daughters who are actresses: Lilibeth Morillo Rodríguez, Liliana Rodríguez Morillo, and Génesis Rodríguez.
Musical Beginnings
El Puma’s passion for music began during his high school years at the Industrial Technical School of Caracas. He started by singing serenades and later formed a vocal group called “The Zeppis,” inspired by The Platters and Los Cinco Latinos. The group included three of his classmates and a female vocalist, Estelita del Llano. Although the group disbanded after a year, the experience solidified his commitment to music. He began participating in amateur contests and performing at local venues in Caracas. Composer and musician José Enrique “Chelique” Sarabia introduced him to a TV program for amateur singers, where he began singing regularly and earning a salary. Sarabia also encouraged him to record his first solo album, titled “Chelique Sarabia presents his new voice.” In 1963, while on this program, he was discovered by Dominican conductor, musician, and arranger Luis María “Bill”o Frómeta. Frómeta hired him as a singer in his orchestra, “Billo’s Caracas Boys,” replacing the recently deceased bolero singer Felipe Pirela. This marked the beginning of El Puma’s path to success. He spent four years with the orchestra, performing various musical styles, including mambo, bolero, tango, and cha-cha-cha. During this time, he toured the Caribbean, Central, and South America, recorded approximately six LPs and several singles, totaling 34 songs. He also ventured into acting, participating in musicals.
Marriage and Early Solo Career
In 1965, while acting, he met the young singer and actress Lila Morillo. They married in 1966. That same year, he decided to pursue a solo career, a decision met with skepticism by some journalists who doubted his potential for success. Initially, he followed in Felipe Pirela’s footsteps, recording boleros. However, he soon transitioned to pop ballads and other genres. His LP “The Romance of José Luis,” recorded in 1967, marked this stylistic shift. His career began to gain traction in Venezuela and neighboring countries, excluding Brazil. His participation in soap operas further enhanced his artistic profile. However, his relationship with Lila Morillo generated considerable media attention, often overshadowing his musical talent.
The Birth of “El Puma”
In 1973, he publicly announced his conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism and was baptized in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Initially, his music reflected this religious change, but he eventually returned to his usual repertoire. During this period, he also ventured into business, promoting detergents and other products. He was hired to support the presidential candidacy of the COPEI political party, which lost the election that year. Following this, he starred in the Venezuelan telenovela “A Young Girl Named Milagros,” playing a character nicknamed “El Puma.” The theme song for the telenovela was recorded by Argentine singer Sandro. From then on, José Luis Rodríguez became known as “El Puma.” However, his singing career experienced a period of stagnation compared to the popularity of his wife.
Internationalization
In 1976, his career took a significant turn when he met Argentine sports entrepreneur Héctor Maselli, who decided to manage his international expansion. This collaboration proved to be a game-changer for El Puma. He stopped recording albums in Venezuela and gradually distanced himself from the stage, returning only sporadically. He initially settled in Madrid, Spain, and signed a contract with Ariola Eurodisc (now Sony BMG). His most notable LP during this period was “Dare” (released in Spain as “I’m going to miss you”), which included the Venezuelan song “Peacock.” He became known by this nickname for a time.
Continued Success and Collaborations
In 1980, he signed with CBS (now Sony BMG) and released a compilation album titled “Singing Evergreen,” featuring songs recorded during his time in Mexico in the late 1970s. He followed this with the hit album “Master of Nothing.” Thanks to Héctor Maselli and CBS, El Puma entered the Brazilian market with the LP “I give nothing,” a Portuguese version of his previous album. He became the first Venezuelan singer to record in Portuguese. His strategy was supported by appearances on Brazilian TV programs. In 1981, he participated in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, alongside renowned Venezuelan singer Marlene, who served as his showgirl. He premiered a pop song dedicated to Chile, which was never officially released. That same year, he requested and received permission from Spanish composer Camilo Blanes (Camilo Sesto) to record some of his most successful songs. El Puma’s participation in the festival, which took place during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, was met with disapproval by some. He made history on the last day of the festival when he met Latino singer Julio Iglesias, in an act of “fraternity” that highlighted a supposed rivalry between them due to their distinct singing styles and popularity. They later recorded a duet of the song “Torero.” Subsequently, he moved to Miami, United States. In 1984, he achieved another milestone by performing as a guest at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. He recorded an Italian-language LP titled “Due Come Noi” (“Two like us”), which included the title track composed by Toto Savio and Amerigo Casella. He later recorded a Spanish version and attempted to break into the English-speaking U.S. market, but without success. He then abandoned his efforts to conquer the European and Brazilian markets. He also participated in the recording of the song “I will sing, sing” with several Latin American artists, including Emmanuel, Lucía Méndez, Pedro Vargas, José José, Vikki Carr, Roberto Carlos, and Simone, in a project similar to “We Are the World.” In 1985, while recording the hit album “The Last Kiss,” he collaborated with Brazilian singer Simone, marking the beginning of his collaborations with other artists.
Personal and Professional Challenges
His rapid rise to fame led to problems in his personal life. His wife’s career had begun to decline, and his frequent absences due to professional commitments strained their relationship. These difficulties culminated in their divorce in June 1986. The following year, he began a relationship with Cuban model Carolina Pérez, whom he married in 1997. They have a daughter, Génesis Rodríguez, born in 1987. In 1988, as an internationally recognized artist, El Puma risked his reputation by openly supporting Venezuelan politician Carlos Andrés Pérez, who was seeking re-election as president. During this period, he consolidated his singing career in Hispanic markets and returned to Venezuela only to film the soap opera “Piel” (Skin), which coincided with the release of his third CD, “Piel de Hombre” (Skin of Man), in 1992. In 2007, he starred in another soap opera, “Trópico.”
Singer and Entrepreneur
In 1995, El Puma embarked on a new venture as an entrepreneur, founding the first Venezuelan music video channel, “Bravo TV.” The channel’s name was later changed to Puma TV and was eventually sold to a Venezuelan business group. In 1997, he returned to the bolero genre with the CD “Unforgettable,” a tribute to the trio “Los Panchos.” The album was so successful that, after releasing “The Puma In Rhythm” (1999), he recorded “Unforgettable II: Enamorado de ti” (In Love with You) and, in 2001, “Unforgettable III: Algo contigo” (Something with You). These albums were well-received by both the public and critics. In 2002, he rejoined the BMG label, which acquired the catalog of his recordings with Ariola and Polygram. He then recorded an album of Spanish ballads from the 1970s titled “Champagne,” launched his own website (now replaced by a new one), and, in 2003, presented “Key of Love,” accompanied by an orchestra and Argentine pianist Raúl Di Blasio. However, his departure from Venezuela and other countries, coupled with the alleged decline in his vocal abilities and the rise of unauthorized CD copying, resulted in a lukewarm reception for these albums. On May 10, 2004, in a move criticized by journalists and the public, he became a U.S. citizen without renouncing his Venezuelan citizenship. He later faced another family crisis following allegations of rape and pregnancy involving his youngest daughter, Génesis Rodríguez, and actor Mauricio Islas. His ex-wife, Lila Morillo, claimed that he had concealed a similar incident that had happened to their eldest daughter when she was six years old. In 2005, he signed with Universal Music and, as a great admirer of composer and producer Camilo Sesto, recorded tracks in tribute to him. With the assistance of composer Roberto Livi, he recorded a new album titled “Distance” in some countries and “Sabor a México” (Taste of Mexico) in others. The repertoire included rancheras composed by Livi himself, and he also recorded a song with the Argentine vocal group “Los Nocheros.” However, despite his international recognition, for reasons unknown, his CDs recorded after this album were not distributed in some Latin American countries, including Venezuela. In September of that year, he released the album “15 Éxitos de José Luis Rodríguez” (15 Hits of José Luis Rodríguez), featuring new versions of his most successful songs since the beginning of his international career, under the U.S. label Leaders Entertainment. Seeking opportunities for his younger daughter in the film industry, he moved to Los Angeles. He participated in a Spanish-language film aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market. This was his second foray into film, his first being a brief appearance in the Venezuelan film “El Reportero” (The Reporter) at the beginning of his solo career.
Recent Years
In early September 2006, in partnership with the Argentine cosmetics company Arbell, he launched a perfume line bearing his name, intended for sale in Latin America, the U.S., and Spain. During the launch, he expressed his frustration with piracy and the machinations of the music industry. As a result, he decided to forgo record contracts and established his own record company, Elpuma.com. In 2006, he released his new album, “Tribute to José Alfredo Jiménez,” in MP3 format, marking his embrace of digital music distribution. The album was included in an MP3 player called Evolution. However, since the player was not available in countries like Venezuela, he signed a new record deal with Sony BMG. In July 2007, he released an album with a metal band, paying tribute to his mentor, Billo Frómeta, and his former colleagues in the Billo’s Caracas Boys orchestra, José “Cheo” García and Guillermo “Memo” Morales. The album, titled “Tribute to Billo’s,” was released on another MP4 player, also called Evolution. In September of that year, he released a CD version of his tribute album to José Alfredo Jiménez. On the acting front, he was part of the Spanish voice cast of the Walt Disney Studios film “Meet the Robinsons,” released in March 2007. After completing his work on the soap opera “Trópico,” filmed in the Dominican Republic and distributed in Latin America, he hosted the international TV show “Disco de Oro” (Gold Record) on Azteca TV. On May 13, 2009, he joined the cast of the TV miniseries “Gabriel,” produced for Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S. by Megafilms and broadcast by Mega TV. The miniseries, which premiered in September of that year, explored themes of vampirism and the occult.