When Alvaro was 12 years old he used to get the mandolin that his father kept in the wardrobe, so that his son would devote his time to his studies. Leonor his sister, together with Jose Miguel and Jorge Enrique his two brothers would listen to the performance of Alvaro. Nevertheless, Doña Transito Bermudez Otalora, his mother cultivated the talent of her son, until he turned out to the best mandolin player in the city.
When he was 12, he played with a four man group called the Four Idols and was hired by a popular radio station named “The Voice of Victor”, to perform once a week. He became an instant sensation and began to write music. Previously, he used to play songs by memory because he did not know how to write music. Alvaro wrote one song a week while he was with the radio station. In about two years he had composed around 150 songs.
When he was15 years old he began to study classical guitar. At the age of 17, he left to New York and by the time he was 19, he entered into the Juliard School of Music.
His first works was based in classical composition for the guitar. Dalmus Editions in New York published more than 100 pieces of his work. Alvaro’s first popular success was the bolero titled “Pensandolo bien” that he recorded with the “Trio Dalmar” in 1956. This song became a continental success.
He also performed simultaneously with an act called the “Hour Glass” and the Capital Theater, where Michael Todd acted, the husband of Liz Taylor. During this time he wrote a musical called “Mexican Hay ride”. Alvaro was adept at playing the guitar and was hired by Colombia Pictures to perform music for 3 series: “Smoke On Arrow Hill”, “Jack and Hill”, and “The Wonders of Manhattan”.
Thereafter, he met Carlos Julio Ramirez and composed his first world success “Besame Morenita” and other masterpieces such as “La Carta”, Compadre no me hable de ella”, and “al caer de la tarde” among many others.
"Amor se escribe con llanto" was partly written in Mexico and partly written in Colombia. His great source of inspiration was founded in the universal woman
Alvaro Dalmar past away on May 17,1999, he will be sadly missed.
