(Credit: Press / Bandcamp)
When you hear the term ‘traditional folk music’, you might think of archaic lyrics, dreary vocals and simplistic acoustic-led music. Thankfully, though, traditional folk music is not restricted exclusively to the English-speaking world, and when you look out to other, more interesting areas of the world, you can find some fantastic tunes. Hailing from Latin America, cumbia music is perhaps the funkiest traditional folk music in the world. The style had something of a resurgence in recent years, and for that, we can thank pioneering groups like Los Golden Boys.
Arising from the coastal region of Colombia, cumbia music has its roots in the blending of multiple ethnic influences resulting from the mix of enslaved Africans with Spanish colonists and indigenous people in South America. The impact of African music, particularly prevalent in Panamanian cumbia, is unavoidable and gives the musical style its signature soul and danceability. The African aspect also brings cumbia’s percussion, which forms the backbone of the music, though the drum-based tribal songs of First Nations in South America also formed a basis for those beats.
Although cumbia has been around, in some form, for hundreds of years in much of Latin America, the 20th century saw something of a renaissance in the musical style when artists began to fuse the traditional style with contemporary rock music. One of the earliest and most successful examples of this blending of styles came in the form of Los Golden Boys.
Formed by brothers Pedro Jairo and Guillermo León Garcés in 1961, the group became successful in their native Colombia for their unique blend of modern rock with old-school cumbia and other traditional Colombian styles of music. Though their time together was tragically cut short with the death of guitarist Pedro Jairo in 1972, their legacy remains to this day.
Retaining that iconic percussion style of traditional cumbia music, Los Golden Boys also bring in the influence of surf and garage rock. Often remembered for their blaring horns and incredible dance numbers, the group had a profound ability to capture many different atmospheres within the traditionally upbeat musical style. From the euphoric celebration of tracks like ‘El Bunea Vida’ to the stoner vibes of ‘La Cumbia De La Mariguana’ and the relaxed lounge atmosphere of ‘Sonrieme’. Their incredible variety in sound speaks to the band’s intensely skilled songwriting ability.
Los Golden Boys quickly rose to the top of the music scene in 1960s Colombia, and the group still remains popular. The band had a resurgence in the 1980s, finding a replacement guitarist and singer in the form of Jairo Alberto Velásquez and Javier Valencia, respectively. The cumbia rockers still operate to this day, though they are not without any of their original members. Their lasting popularity is thanks in part to the use of their music on television shows like Narcos and the popular Colombian soap opera Pedro el escamoso.
The influence of Los Golden Boys and their innovative mixture of rock and cumbia can still be heard today in bands like Los Bitchos, Combo Chimbita and Viento Callejero among countless others. A recent reissue of their material on the popular Portland record label Mississippi Records speaks to their enduring popularity and the lasting power of cumbia music in general.
