Charlie Rodríguez, known as «El León», is a Dominican merengue singer. He was one of the voices of El Equipo (de Dioni Fernández) in the 1980s and later led his own orchestra, which recorded «Si yo tuviera un palacio», widely known as «El Palacio».

From El Equipo to his own orchestra

After a period with Fernando Villalona, Rodríguez joined El Equipo (de Dioni Fernández) in 1981, under the direction of Dioni Fernández. His time with the group is associated with merengues such as «Oye muchacha», «Cal y arena» and «La mina de amor». He later left to lead an orchestra of his own.

«Si yo tuviera un palacio»

In 1985 his orchestra released the LP «Cójelo León!... Jau, Jau, Jau!». It included «Si yo tuviera un palacio», written by Mario Díaz and arranged by Manuel Tejada. The song also circulated under the shortened title «El Palacio».

Díaz recalled that a home demo containing two of his songs reached Rodríguez during a rehearsal of the new orchestra. The singer chose «Si yo tuviera un palacio», and its writer first heard the finished recording on the radio in May 1985. Díaz later described that merengue as the work that opened doors for him as a songwriter.

Reunions

Rodríguez returned to the stage with former members of El Equipo (de Dioni Fernández) for a reunion concert announced in 2011. In December 2017 he performed alongside Dioni Fernández in Santo Domingo, revisiting songs from their years together.

Legacy

Charlie Rodríguez's career connects his years as a vocalist in a leading 1980s merengue orchestra with the repertoire of his own group. «Si yo tuviera un palacio» also holds an important place in Mario Díaz's career: the writer has said the recording made his name known in the music business.