Born Isidoro Berrocal Coronado in 1937, the Peruvian musician better known as "El Cholo Berrocal" developed blindness at age 11. Having been gifted with the natural ability to play the guitar, his blindness only strengthened his love and drive for playing music. He studied at the National Institute for the Blind in Lima, where he learned different musical styles from various regions in Latin America. El Cholo Berrocal blended these different styles with the traditional coastal Peruvian music he learned as a child, into a unique style that would make him famous.