Born in Santiago de la Vegas, a town located 25 km from Havana (Cuba), on September 23, 1942. Welfo Gutiérrez started there as a singer in a children's quartet.
In the early 1960s he left Cuba to settle in the US where he worked with small groups before joining the newly formed group of Cuban pianist Javier Vázquez in 1966. With the Vázquez group he made his first recordings as a soloist. He also recorded with Larry Harlow's orchestra during this period.
In 1973, Gutiérrez joined Javier Vázquez with La Sonora Matancera. With the celebrated group Gutiérrez he recorded a total of 20 songs among which are remembered Burujón Puñao, La Hija De Lola and El Alacrán.
After leaving Sonora in 1976, Gutiérrez left for Mexico where he permanently settled. In the Mexican capital he formed his own group with which for years he made a number of record productions and innumerable presentations.
He died in Mexico City on May 31, 2005