Luis Enrique Gatica Silva (11 August 1928 – 13 November 2018), better known as Lucho Gatica was a Chilean bolero singer, film actor, and television host known as "the King of Bolero." He toured a vast portion of the world, having performed in concerts in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He was the uncle of the record producer Humberto Gatica.
Luis Enrique Gatica Silva was born on Aug. 11, 1928, in
Rancagua, Chile, roughly 50 miles south of Santiago. His father, José Agustín
Gatica Silva, a rancher, died when Lucho, as he was called, was 3, and his
seven siblings banded together to support their mother, Juana, who moved into
the town center and became a seamstress.
Juana played the harp at home and encouraged all her
children to sing. Lucho was at first shy of the stage, but his older brother,
Arturo, achieved some renown in Chile as a baritone singer, and he recognized
Lucho’s talent. Lucho’s first public performance was in a duo with Arturo on a
Rancagua radio program when he was 13. They became a team and recorded four
folkloric songs for Odeon Records in 1949.
“Me Importas Tú,” which Mr. Gatica recorded in 1951, became
a smash hit throughout Latin America, jump-starting his career. He embarked on
an international tour in 1954, supported by the Roberto Ingles Orchestra, and
received a hero’s welcome in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. He then traveled to
London, where he performed on BBC Radio.
Soon after, he began performing regularly in Mexico and Cuba,
centres of Latin American show business. He appeared in his first film, “No Me
Platiques Más” (“Don’t Tell Me Anymore”), in 1956. Two years later, Mr. Gatica
settled permanently in Mexico. In 1959, he travelled to Spain for the first
time and received an enthusiastic reception, and by the mid-1960s he had sold
more than 22 million records worldwide.
Mr. Gatica gave a bravura performance at Carnegie Hall in
1962 accompanied by Lalo Schifrin’s orchestra; he later sang at the Hollywood
Bowl, where he was presented by Nat King Cole. But it was a trip that year to
the Philippines, where tens of thousands of fans greeted him, that made Mr.
Gatica aware of how broadly his fame had spread.
Until almost the end of his life he continued to perform in
a classic bolero style throughout the world, sometimes singing in Portuguese
and English as well as in Spanish. He released his final album, “Historia de un
Amor,” at 85, joined by guests like Michael Bublé and Nelly Furtado.
In 2001, Gatica was inducted into the International Latin
Music Hall of Fame. In the same year, his renditions of "La Barca"
and "El Reloj" were inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame.
Gatica himself was one of the recipients of the Latin Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award in 2007. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame for Recording in 2008.
Gatica died in Mexico on 13 November 2018 from pneumonia. President
Sebastián Piñera of Chile ordered flags lowered to half-staff and declared Nov.
15 a national day of mourning.
(Edited from The New York Times with help from Wikipedia)
1 comment:
Now here's an artist I never even heard of until today. I was deciding who to spotlight on their a birthday when I came across this chap. And I'm glad I did.
So for “Lucho Gatica – Latin Classics” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/10341528/Lucho_Gatica_-_Latin_Classics.rar.html
1. El Reloj.
2. La Barca.
3. Encadenados.
4. No me Platiques.
5. Esperame en El Cielo.
6. Contigo en La Distancia.
7. Sabor A Mi.
8. Tu Me Acostumbraste.
9. Total.
10. Amémonos.
11. Y.
12. Obsesion.
13. Historia De Un Amor.
14. Novia Mia.
15. Ansiedad.
16. Pregúntale A La Noche.
17. Si No Esta Conmigo.
18. La Enramada.
19. Piel Canela.
20. Besame Mucho.
A big thank you to Senor Salsa @ Salsa Mayor blog for original post.
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