Julio César Gutiérrez Cainas, known as Julio Gutiérrez, was born on January 12, 1918, in Manzanillo, Cuba. He started playing violin and singing at a young age, learning piano by six years old. In his teens, he formed a local band. Gutiérrez's career breakthrough came when Miguelito Valdés suggested he move to La Habana in 1940. There, he joined Orquesta Casino de la Playa as pianist and composed hits like "Inolvidable." In 1956, he directed Cuban Jam Sessions, a critically acclaimed album that influenced other artists to record their own jam sessions. After fleeing Cuba in 1960, Gutiérrez settled in Miami and later New York, where he recorded extensively under his label J&G. He passed away on December 15, 1990, in New York. In 2000, Gutiérrez was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
