Ovidio Granados, the Colombian vallenato accordionist and songwriter, died on June 5, 2026.
He was 84. Born Ovidio Enrique Granados Melo in 1941 in the Mariangola neighborhood of Valledupar, in what is now the Colombian department of Cesar, Granados became known for his work in vallenato and was regarded as one of the country’s leading accordion technicians.
He learned the instrument from his grandfather, Juanchito Granados, and received his first accordion from an uncle. From 1959, he played accordion with Los Playoneros del Cesar alongside Rafael Mojica, Eliécer Fragozo and Luciano Gullo Fragozo. Granados placed second in the accordion competition at the first Vallenato Legend Festival in 1968, behind Alejo Durán, and later returned to the contest in 1975 and 1983.