José Luis Rodríguez Vélez (12 March 1915 in Santiago de Veraguas – 21 December 1984 in Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá) was a Panamanian composer, musical director, saxophonist, clarinetist and guitarist.
[1] He was the author of dozens of cumbias, boleros, pasillos, waltzes, dances and marches.
He was a music teacher at the Escuela Normal Juan Demóstenes Arosemena, the Instituto Justo Arosemena, the Instituto Urracá, among others.
As a professional musician, he created and directed the Orquesta "El Patio", as well as choirs, other orchardestras and musical groups in Panamá.
[2] For a life dedicated to education,[3] the Panamanian Government conferred on him the Order of Manuel José Hurtado in 1975, the most important award in the Republic of Panamá for an educator or an education institution.