He was born in Misantla, Veracruz, in 1913, into a family of musicians and he studied the music of the area.
[1] He worked for a time with Álvaro Ancona and in 1936 they were joined by Jesús "Chucho" Navarro, forming the group El Charro Gil y Sus Caporales.
They disbanded in 1944, when Chucho Navarro and Alfredo Gil left the group to form the Trío Los Panchos with Hernando Avilés.
[2][3] The pair later relocated to New York City, where they eventually raised three children before divorcing in 1953.
Felipe Gil occasionally collaborated with his wife in his performances with Sus Caporales.