Luis Cruz

Luis Cruz (b. Caracas-D.C, July 17, 1933 - d. Cabudare - Lara state, April 19, 2012). composer and popular musician, who gain a high popularity with his song "Ay, que Noche Tan Preciosa", best known as "El Cumpleaños Feliz Venezolano" (The Venezuelan Birthday Song). Cruz gave his first steps on music as pupile of Carlos Bonett Mendoza and Vicente Flores. In 1952, Cruz joined to Gonzalo Peña and José Petit to found Los Latinos' Trio, until 1957 when the group was disolved.
For the next year Cruz formed a new group, a Quartet named Los Naipes, with this group Cruz reached a total success with new figures, female vocals, as Mirla Castellanos, Mirtha Perez, Oly Monasterios and Tania Salazar. Since 1971 Cruz started a new format based on venezuelan folk, the group was named "Los Cruceros" inspired by "Los Torrealberos" a famous group of [a= Juan Vicente Torrealba], with this group Cruz aborded the emergent Orchid Rythm introduced by Hugo Blanco.
Luis Cruz has enriched the venezuelan songbook with very popular compositions as Ingenua (also known as "Dumbi Dumbi"), Tibisay, Sensación, Las Cerezas, A Veces, Mira mis Labios, La Voz de Las Hormiguitas, El Silbido, El Errante, and many others; of course we don't forget "Ay, que Noche Tan Preciosa".