Singer, guitarist, composer, poet, cartoonist, and writer. Indeed, it seems there was no end to the talents of Luis Alberto Spinetta. Along with Charly Garcia, this extraordinary porteño is credited as founding Argentina’s homegrown Rock Nacional; a musical genre which – much like their love of football – Argentines remain fiercely proud of.
Born on 23rd January 1950 in Belgrano, Buenos Aires, the young Spinetta was already singing folklore and tango at family gatherings form the age of four. At 12 he had been scouted to take part in a national music competition. And at 18, alongside former classmates, Emilio del Guercio, Edelmiro Molinari, and Rodolfo García, the self-taught musician formed one of the most influential rock bands in Argentine history, Almendra.
Featuring one of Spinetta’s most renowned compositions, Muchacha (ojos de papel) the band’s debut studio album was released in 1969 and was an immediate success. Incorporating elements of jazz, tango, and folk music, its fusion of musical genres and lyrical themes were celebrated in the album’s legendary cover art, designed by Spinetta himself. Through its combination of Spanish-language lyrics with progressive rock, the self-titled album revolutionised the genre of Argentine Rock overnight and converted Almendra into a household name across the country. For many, it marked the birth of ‘Spanish-language rock.’
Despite the collapse of Almendra after several years of unprecedented success, Spinetta went on to form and lead numerous iconic bands including, Pescado Rabioso, Invisible, Spinetta Jade, and Spinetta y Los Socios del Desierto. This period also marked an evolvement in Spinetta’s style and lyrics, which are celebrated for their poeticism, surrealism and idiosyncratic use of grammar, coupled with a unique experimental fusion of rock, pop, tango, jazz, and bossa,
As a solo artist Spinetta released over twenty albums, cementing his place in the Argentine rock hall of fame. In an effort to draw the nation’s attention to the corrupting effect of hedonism and commercialism on the rock scene, Spinetta also released a manifesto entitled, Rock: música dura, la suicidada por la Sociedad, and in 1978 published a book of poetry, Guitarra Negra. He also went on to collaborate with artists such as Charly García, and in 1986 produced the iconic single, Rezo por vos.
In celebration of his 40-year musical career, on 4th December 2009, Spinetta performed a five-and-a-half-hour concert called Spinetta y las Bandas Eternas at the Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires. Deemed, ‘the greatest gig of the decade,’ the concert brought together 31 musicians, 40,000 fans, and featured fifty of Spinetta’s songs.
At the young age of 62, on 8th February 2012 Luis Alberto Spinetta lost his battle to lung cancer, leaving a huge vaccum in Argentine music. In accordance to his wishes, his ashes were scattered in the waters of the Río de la Plata next to el Parque de la memoria; a monument commemorating the thousands who disappeared during Argentina’s 1976-1983 Dirty Dictatorship.
It has been eight years since the departure of this Argentine hero, yet his legacy is still very much alive today. Whilst in 2016, his record, Los amigos, won one of the most prestigious Argentine music awards, el Premio Carelos Gardel de Oro, in 2010 the Argentinian public holiday, el Día Nacional del Músico, was even moved from November to January to honour the much-loved maestro.
Indeed, the music of the great rockero argentino struck a major chord with listeners around the world. It is something that will never be forgotten, and something that Argentines have every reason to be proud of.
