[ad_1]
Lucho Gatica, the Chilean with the velvet voice who went to dispute the reign of the bolero in the land of this music and committed to record hits like "El reloj", "La barca" and "Contigo distanced" , died Tuesday in Mexico. He was 90 years old.
Relatives of their son, singer and actor Luis Gatica, announced the death on social networks.
Gatica became an undisputed star of music, but when he finished high school in Rancagua, south of Santiago, he chose a very different profession: that of dental technician.
His brother However, Arturo went to the Chilean capital and made a space by singing on the main radio of the time.
Luis "Lucho" was quick to realize that dental plates were not his thing. and went to try his luck in music with his brother, who gave him a place in his program and a great boost to his artistic career.
This was the iconic radio announcer Raúl Matas who, at the end of the 1940s, welcomed and strengthened his career by joining him with the Los Peregrinos trio, with whom he recorded a few of his first boleros, of which "Contigo in the distancia" of Cuban Caesar Portillo de la Luz.
from two different musical careers: Arturo was half successful, mostly in Chile, while Lucho became a world figure, described as the king of Bolero. His velvety voice has left many songs in his memory that also include "One-time", "Cinnamon peel", "You're used to" and "Sincerity"
Lucho left for Mexico while He was only 20 years old. it seemed absurd: to impose on the country singers of boleros.
At the dawn of the 1950s, he recorded "Bésame mucho" by Consuelo Velásquez, the first of a dozen boleros to have broken the lists of favorites Cuba … [19659002FromRioGrandetoPatagoniaLuchoGaticawbadoonanindisputablefigureInhisbooktitled"AuntJuliaandtheWriter"MarioVargasLlosadescribedtheidolatryenjoyedbyGaticainPeru
Lists of Spain's favorite 60s albums repeatedly show that Gatica shares top spots with stars like Paul Anka or the Spanish Dynamic Duo.
A hundred or so albums have consolidated the most successful international career of a Chilean singer at any time. The praises do not come only from the fans, but also from personalities like the Spanish Julio Iglesias or the Mexican Luis Miguel. Many of those who shared the successes of the time, such as Leo Marini, Elvira Ríos and Olga Guillot, professed an open admiration.
"For generations to come, their voices are part of intimacy and almost synonymous with Love … It's a man who has turned many strangers into boyfriends", said the Chilean Minister of Education, Mariana Aylwin, in 2002, when she awarded the Order of Education and Cultural Merit Gabriela Mistral with the rank of Grand Officer, instituted in recognition of education , culture and education.
His vast gallery of trophies included the Latin Grammy for musical excellence in 2007.
He also enjoyed success in Europe and the United States until the 1960s. The eruption rock in Latin America began to move the bolero and Gatica, who was already beginning to lose the voice that had given him fame and fortune.
Gatica was born on August 11, 1928 in Rancagua, 80 kilometers away. South of Santiago At the age of three, he lost his father and since then his mother had to strive to raise her seven children modestly.
Based in Mexico since 1952, his sporadic returns to Chile did not always reflect his success. Outside He often complained that his compatriots were always asking him when he would retire. Even at the end of the 80s, he remains partially active in music.
He married Mexico with the Puerto Rican actress Mapita Cortés, with whom he had five children, two of whom also had an artistic career: the actor and the singer Luis Gatica and Alfredo Gatica, musical producer. With his second wife, the American Diane Lane Schmidt, had a daughter, Luchana, whose godfather is Julio Iglesias. Separated after six years of marriage, he remarried in 1986 with another American under the age of 20, Leslie Debb, with whom he had the seventh of his children, Lily Teresa Gatica.
In the 1990s, he settled. in Los Angeles and since 2000, it begins to spread between Mexico, California and Chile. In 2002, the Chilean government awarded him the Order of Merit Award, Gabriela Mistral. In February of the same year, he received public recognition during the crowded festival of the song Viña del Mar.
In 1996, he received a great tribute to Miami. part of the artists who understood Luis Miguel. In 2003, he recorded a version of "Me gustas tú" with Chilean hip-hop singers Ana Tijoux and Víctor Flores.
In 2008, he was immortalized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2013 he released the album. "Historia de un amor", with new versions of boleros duet with Laura Pausini, Nelly Furtado, Luis Fonsi and Michael Bublé, among others.
"I never get tired when I sing, of course, I do not intend to do it as before, because I have many years already, but I'll tell you one thing, if I can, I will continue to sing until I die, "he said after publishing his latest book.
Source link
