From “El Portal Del Tango” we pay homage to a big tango man.

 

Singer. He was born in Capital Federal on August 12th, 1928. He had a hard childhood, due to the critical situation the country was going through in that moment, there was lack of work, and his mother was the only one who worked because his father had died when he was a little boy. When he was a teenager he read the newspaper, they were looking for people who liked singing, acting and other things. He went to a place called ADEC (or something like that), in Rivadavia and Talcahuano Street, that place was directed by Rauch, (he looked like Julián Centeya) but just in appearance, but when he told him about his skills, he wanted him to sing and while he was singing he was nodding: “Hey, you sing pretty good”. You are going to work with me. In Rauch ´s company he saw things he didn’t like, after seven months working with him, he arrived to the offices one morning, and in the door street he found the police and his boss that was being taken by the police, and his accusation was: white-slave dealer and drugs, he didn’t see him anymore. He was in a critical economic situation, and he sang passing the cup.  “His musical studies were scarce. He had a genuine singing. The little bit he knew about sol-fa and the practice allowed him to read and to know the chords almost perfect in piano and guitar.” Later on he began studing, to enter to the naval school, in Rio Santiago. He did it. It was in the year 1943, during this period he learnt to swim, dedicating to this discipline a lot of hours. Very soon he has represented the company in the championships, he was almost the South American record.  In 1946 he was in the fourth year of his career, he was very close to obtain the degree on midshipman, and at the same time he had another exam to obtain the naval brevet of aviators. But suddenly everything got complicated, he saw himself in the middle of a revolutionary intent, (the same one as “Vernengo Lima).” He was the eleventh in his promotion; seventy guys were expelled, so he went through difficult days and of reclusion in the Pontón Recalada. And coming back to the civil life was very difficult. So he dedicated to his career as a singer, the rehearsals began, together with a friend of him who was a guitar player. He has simple performances. Until his big opportunity in café “La Paz”, near to Barracas Train Station.  And the possibility of debuting in the café “El Argentino” arose; he sang without microphone, his voice was potent, at the beginning they would listen to him from the street and then they would enter for curiosity. Thirty meters from there, was the meeting place of Osvaldo Pugliese´s orchestra members. There parked the bus that transferred them. What had called their attention was that the local was full and the people listened in the sidewalks, and one day   Jorge Caldara and Osvaldo Ruggiero entered just to see him and of course they told it to Osvaldo. The following night, Pugliese, asked the driver of the vehicle that to drive him nearer so as to be able to see him through the windows of the café. Pugliese didn't prove Vidal, once they converged to an appointment, Balcarce told him the tone and they began to rehearse “Islas de flores” (Islands of flowers) and “Títiriteros” (Puppeteer) And then from 1948 until 1951 he was singer of Osvaldo Pugliese´s orchestra, with successes like  “Puente Alsina”(Alsina Bridge), “Testamento de Arrabal” (Suburb Testament),”Por qué canto el tango” (why I sing the Tango). This success and being playing for Pugliese was very important for his future. He recorded a lot of albums such as: “El conventillo cuarenta” by Eduardo Mazvezzi, “Callejón”(Alley) by Marco and Grela and  “Qué sopa señor” (What a soup Sir) by Enrique Santos Discépolo. But in 1951 he decided to leave for not being identified just for the orchestra and he formed his own one with a great success. He formed his guitar group that accompanied him   “La Armonía” (The harmony). And there he met his good friend “Tano” Marino. And their first recordings as soloists arrived: “La vieja serenata” (The old serenade) and  “Milonga fina”(Delicate Milonga). In his period as a soloist the following recordings were very successful:  “El conventillo cuaranta” by Eduardo Mazvezzi, “Callejón”(Alley) by Marco and Grela and “Qué sopa señor”(What a soup Sir) by Enrique Santos Discépolo) he started performing in theatre in a play called   “Juan Tango”; one night, during a presentation, Canaro who was in the stalls, offered him to work with him, he offered him to be part of the staff of the play Tangolandia.  The following year he returned to the theatre but this time as a manager, singer and actor, with a total of 40 actors in scene. He had a record for being a summer period. Then he travelled to the United States of America where he stayed for 8 months, but he could only perform one time in Channel 2, he sang “El día que me quieras”(The day that you love me). In the second trip, he acted just by chance in “Carnegie Hall”. There were a lot of people, two thousands more or less and he had a great opportunity to present in the branches of the Sheraton Hotel, after that he made some performances in Europe, Spain for a long time. He returned to Buenos Aires with performances in television and in those remembered “Casino Philips” and The family “GESA”, among others.  He also worked in cinema, he was the main character of the film “El tango vuelve a París”(Tango returns to Paris), and he was the president of the House of the singer. He composed   “Cuando yo me vaya”(When I leave), “Pa´ las sierras”(For the mountains) and “Sin Historia”(Without history).