Oscar Emilio León, was born on July 11, 1943 in the neighborhood of Antímano in Caracas. Venezuelan salsa singer Oscar D'León is a bassist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. Known as “El León de la Salsa” (The Lion of Salsa) and “El Diablo de la Salsa” (The Devil of Salsa), he has become one of the most widely known salsa artists for his improvisational skills (soneos), his rich voice, and his dynamic stage performances. D'León embodies the best of Venezuelan salsa in his original arrangements and compositions, a repertoire that integrates the traditional Cuban influences of Beny Moré and la Sonora Matancera with the New York sound of Eddie Palmieri and the early Nuyorican salsa while imprinting his Venezuelan stamp on them.

D'León has recorded about sixty albums during his career, including El más grande (The Biggest, 1978), considered to be “one of his best albums ever”; El rey de los soneros (The King of Soneros, 1991), his first solo album under contract with Ralph Mercado Music (RMM); Toitico tuyo (I'm All Yours, 1994); Sonero del mundo (Sonero of the World, 1996), nominated for a Grammy Award; and En Nueva York (1997), which included the participation of Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval and a duet with Nuyorican singer La India.