[2] The song's lyrics describe José Antonio as he rides his horse wearing a jipijapa (Panama hat), Creole Berber, scarf and poncho, and holding silk reins.

[3] In 1961, Mario Cavagnaro, the head of the "Sono Radio" record label, proposed an album compiling Granda's best compositions.

During this tour, she performed at times with singer-songwriter-guitarist Óscar Avilés, and the pair released an album, "Dialogando" (Iempsa, 1968), which included "José Antonio".

For the album's recording of "José Antonio", she was accompanied by Óscar Avilés on guitar and by Chucho Ferrer on organ.

[13][14] The song is among Granda's most famous and has been covered by many leading Latin artists, including Chavela Vargas,[15] Tania Libertad,[16] Ginamaría Hidalgo,[17] and Yamila Cafrune.