Full name Olimpo León Cárdenas Moreira, Ecuadorian folk singer Olimpo Cárdenas was born on July 5, 1923 in Vinces. He was orphaned at the age of 3 and grew up with his godmother, quickly developing a love of music. Barely 20, he moved to Guyaquil and took part in a number of musical programs. This is how he met Carlos Rubira Infante, with whom he formed the Cárdenas-Rubira duo, also known as Los Porteños. A little later, at the age of 27, he joined the Los Trovadores trio and toured the country before forming the group Trío Emperador with Plutarco Uquillas and Pepe Jaramillo. But the adventure turned sour and even ended in a fight after the latter two learned that Oscar Cárdenas had been offered a solo contract. Among his first recorded tracks were the hits "Fatalidad" and "Tu duda y la mía", the first of a long series of classics such as "Lágrimas de amor", "Temeridad" and "Nuestro juramento", which spread beyond the borders of Colombia and Ecuador, and were heard as far away as Venezuela and Mexico, where he lived for over a decade from 1957. On the dozens of albums he went on to record, many of his songs continued his popularity, including "Playita Mía", "Tu Duda y la mía", "Rondando tu esquina", "Fatalidad", "Cinco Centavitos", "Licor Bendito", and "Calabozo de mis penas". He was only 68 when he died on July 28, 1991, in Tuluá, Colombia, struck down by a heart attack while performing his song "Tu duda y la mía" in trio.
