Guillermo Buitrago

Two successful years later, Guillermo Buitrago woke up on a day in January 1949, sick and short on sleep. At first he suspected too many performances had him fatigued, but as the weeks passed by, he started realizing he had an illness that was threatening to become critical. Locals claimed he had a weakened voice and that his ''young handsome face looked like a specter with burning dark circles around his eyes''. Guillermo Buitrago died on 19 April 1949 at the age of 29 years. The exact reason of his death remains a mystery. and there is no shortage of rumors and suspicions surrounding the young singer's demise.

Seven or eight radio shows later, along with a successful jingle ''El Negro Mendo'' that he recorded for a furniture and mattress factory, convinced the station directors to give him more air time during prime time, ultimately giving him 3 shows weekly. By 1947 Buitrago was basically living in Barranquilla. During the week he would complete his radio show commitments that were starting to flood in by this point, and on weekends he would travel to Ciénaga to visit his family and friends. Emisoras Unidas, realizing the growing success of Buitrago's music, contracted Julio Bovea, who had just split from Buitrago and had formed his own band to take on an air slot that would compete directly with Buitrago's programming. Pressed to find replacements, Buitrago contacted two musicians he had played with in years prior. With this new group, he would go on to record the majority of his hits, all of which are still known today. Guillermo Buitrago y sus muchachos, his band, had Ángel Fontanilla on lead guitar, Buitrago on rhythm guitar and lead singer, and Carlos "stumpy" Rubio on guacharaca (Rubio was missing part of his left forearm).

What came next was fame and success. Aside from radio, private parties, local fairs, serenades, by 1947 Toño Fuentes, founder of Discos Fuentes in Medellín and pioneer of the LP industry in Colombia, arrived in Barranquilla looking for Buitrago's band to take them to make a recording at his studio in Cartagena. Elsewhere, Odeón Records of Argentina had also contacted Buitrago, producing some recording that had won a strong following nationally, so much that plans were put in motion to have Buitrago and his band tour the south of the South America.

Guillermo de Jesús Buitrago Henríquez, known as Guillermo Buitrago (1 April 1920, Ciénaga – 19 April 1949) was a Colombian composer and songwriter of vallenato music. He is one of the most successful composers in his country. His songs became part of the typical music played during Christmas time in Colombia. Some of his hits are "La Víspera de Año Nuevo" (New Year's Eve), "Grito Vagabundo" (Vagabond Scream), "Ron de Vinola" (Vinola Rum) and "Dame tu mujer, José" (Give me your woman, José).