Born in Manzanillo (in the current Granma Province) on January 12, 1918, Julio Gutiérrez learned to play the violin and to sing at a very young age.

[4] In 1940, Orquesta Casino de la Playa was touring the east of Cuba and Miguelito Valdés suggested him to go to Havana where he could thrive as a musician.

This group which was RHC-Cadena Azul's resident band, included prominent musicians such as Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar, Edilberto Escrich, Nilo Argudín, Emilio Peñalver, Rogelio Darias, and Óscar Valdés Sr.[4] After returning to Cuba from his long tour in 1950, Gutiérrez began composing bolero-mambos and cha-cha-chas.

He was appointed musical director of the Channel 4 television, and he accompanied vocal acts such as Rita Montaner, Rosita Fornés, Lucy Fabery, Olga Rivero, Cuarteto Faxas, Dúo Cabrisas-Farach and Omara Portuondo.

In 1960, Julio Gutiérrez fled to México and shortly after he moved to Miami, where he recorded a few LPs for labels such as Sirena and Montilla as a leader; he also backed singer Blanca Rosa Gil.