Topic: Jose Luis Rodriguez

José Luis Rodríguez González (born January 14, 1943 in Caracas), nicknamed El Puma (Cougar) is a Venezuelan singer and actor who has recorded many international super hits and participated in a handful of telenovelas.

Rodríguez lost his father (who hailed from the Canary Islands) at the age of six, and was raised by his mother (an illiterate then, learned to read as an adult in order to read the bible) along with 11 brothers and sisters. He grew up in very modest conditions, having to shine shoes, and pack bags in a supermarket for a living at an early age. Without an academic formation, he shaped himself as a singer and actor by empirical means.

As his mother participated in the revolt against Marcos Pérez Jiménez (holding weapons and hiding politicians in her home), Rodríguez lived in exile in Ecuador with her and his brother, for a couple of years.