Nicolas Elias Mendoza Daza, also known as Colacho Mendoza (April 15, 1936 – September 27, 2003) was a Colombian Vallenato accordion player and was crowned king of accordion players on many occasions in the

Vallenato Legend Festival The Vallenato Legend Festival ( es, Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata) is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The festival features a vallenato music contests for best performer of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, ...

. He was born in a small village called Sabanas de Manuela in the municipality of Barrancas, La Guajira Department, in northern

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Biography

Early years

Mendoza was born April 15, 1936, in the small village of Sabanas de Manuela, located in the Municipality of Barrancas in the northern La Guajira Department. He was the son of Andrés Mendoza and Juana Daza, whom were the first to encourage him to learn musi

Accordion player

He was crowned King of the

in 1969. In 1987 he participated in the King of Kings competition in the Vallenato Legend Festival, an event in which only previous kings can participate, and won, defeating Alejo Duran. He played with prominent vallenato singers such as Alfonso Zuleta, Jorge Oñate, Diomedes Díaz, Silvio Britto and Ivo Luis Díaz.

External links

Colombia.com biography (Spanish)La Vallenata Radio Station Lavallenata.comVallenato Legend Festival (Spanish)
1936 births 2003 deaths People from La Guajira Department Colombian accordionists Vallenato musicians {{Colombia-musician-stub