Andrés Calamaro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrés Calamaro
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Calamaro performing in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andres Calamaro |
| Born | August 22, 1961 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
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Andrés Calamaro (born August 22, 1961) is an Argentine musician, composer, and a winner of the Latin Grammy Award. He is known as one of the most important and influential rock artists in Spanish-speaking music. Calamaro is also famous for his wide range of musical styles. These include funk, reggae, ballads, boleros, tangos, and jazz. His former band, Los Rodríguez, became very successful in Spain and across Latin America during the 1990s. Andrés Calamaro is a multi-instrumentalist and a major figure in Argentine rock. He has sold over 1.3 million records.
Contents
Life and Music Journey
Starting with Los Abuelos de la Nada
Andrés Calamaro was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When he was 17, he played as a guest on an album by the group Raíces. Soon after, he started his own band, Elmer Band, with his friend and guitarist Gringui Herrera. This band had a popular underground song called Tristeza de la Ciudad (City Blues).
When Miguel Abuelo, the leader of Los Abuelos de la Nada, came back to Argentina, he reformed his band. He invited Calamaro to play keyboards. The band became very successful. Calamaro wrote some of their biggest hits, such as Sin gamulán, Mil horas, and Costumbres argentinas.
First Solo Music
Before Los Abuelos de la Nada broke up, Calamaro released his first solo album, Hotel Calamaro, in 1984. His second album, Vida Cruel, was recorded shortly after he left the band. Critics liked it, but it did not sell many copies.
After his third album, Por Mirarte (1988), Calamaro began working as a producer for other bands. These included Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Los Enanitos Verdes. He also produced music for solo artists like Fabiana Cantilo. Calamaro ended the 1980s with his own band. It featured his old friends Gringui Herrera and Ariel Rot, who had recently returned from Spain. This trio recorded the album Nadie sale vivo de aquí (No One Gets Out of Here Alive) in 1989. Many guest musicians also played on the album. It was nominated for Best Record of the Year.
In 1990, Calamaro helped produce the album Mujer contra mujer for Sandra Mihanovich and Celeste Carballo.
Success with Los Rodríguez
Because of the economic situation in Argentina, Calamaro and Rot moved to Spain. There, they formed the band Los Rodríguez with Julián Infante and Germán Villela on drums. The band did not have a permanent bass player. However, Guillermo Martin, Candi Avello, and later Daniel Zamora joined them for recordings and tours.
Los Rodríguez released three very successful studio albums. These were Buena Suerte (1991), Sin documentos (1993), and Palabras más, palabras menos (1995). They also released a live album called Disco Pirata (1992) and a collection album Hasta luego (1996). Sin documentos brought them international fame. It mixed Rock, Flamenco, and Latin American rhythms. They toured Spain and Latin America, becoming an important part of Rock in Spanish history.
Continuing Solo Career
Andrés Calamaro released Grabaciones Encontradas ("Found recordings") while he was still with Los Rodríguez. After Palabras más, palabras menos, the band released a "Greatest Hits" album, which sold well. Then, the band broke up.
In 1996, Calamaro performed "Cosas Que Me Ayudan A Olvidar" (Things That Help Me To Forget). This song was for the AIDS benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin. In 1997, Calamaro recorded Alta suciedad (which means "High Filth" but also sounds like "High Society"). This album sold over half a million copies. It led him to tour Latin America again.
Calamaro started writing many songs. In just six months, he had over 100 songs ready. Thirty-seven of these songs made it onto his next album, Honestidad brutal. This album included hits like Te quiero igual, Paloma, Los aviones, Cuando te conocí, and La parte de adelante. This double CD was created during a challenging time in his personal life, which was reflected in the songs. The album also featured a collaboration with the famous football player Diego Maradona.
In 2000, he recorded 103 songs for his five-CD album El Salmón.
Sharing Music Freely
In the years that followed, Calamaro made many guest appearances in concerts and recordings. He also put out unreleased songs from 2001-2002 for free download online. He said that "Music belongs to those who want to hear it; and to nobody else."
He also shared his home recordings online. Because some of these recordings were not high quality, a group of fans called Camisetas Para Todos re-mastered them. They made them available on their website with Calamaro's permission. He also started Radio Salmón Vaticano, a virtual recording studio on his website.
In 2004, he released El Cantante (The Singer). This album featured covers of Tangos and other Latin American rhythms. It also included a few of the songs he had released online.
The Return to Live Shows
In 2005, Calamaro released El Regreso (The Return). This album was a collection of live recordings from his concert at the Luna Park Stadium earlier that year. The album was presented on December 17 to 20,000 people at the Obras Sanitarias Stadium. It won the 2006 Gardel Award for Rock album by Male Artist and Best Album Cover. Calamaro also received the Golden Gardel, which is the main award.
After that, he released Tinta Roja, a collection of classic Tangos. These included famous songs like El día que me quieras, Como dos extraños, and Sur. On November 20, 2006, El Palacio de las Flores was released, recorded with Litto Nebbia. On September 11, 2007, La Lengua Popular came out. In 2008, Raíces 30 Años followed with the band Raíces. In 2009, he released Andrés, a solo collection of 6 CDs.
In June 2010, he released his album "On The Rock". This album brought back his more rock-oriented sound. It quickly became a hit, as did the first single "Los Divinos," a song about the passing of time.
Discography
Los Abuelos de la Nada
- Los Abuelos de la Nada [The Grandparents of Nothingness] (1982)
- Vasos y Besos [Glasses and Kisses] (1983)
- Himno de mi Corazón [The Hymn of my Heart] (1984)
- En Directo desde el Ópera [Live Album] (1985)
Los Rodríguez
- Buena Suerte (1991)
- Disco Pirata (1992)
- Sin Documentos (1993)
- Palabras más, Palabras menos (1995)
- Hasta Luego (1997)
- Hasta Luego (Collector CD/book) (2001)
- Para no olvidar (2001)
Solo Albums
- Hotel Calamaro (1984)
- Vida Cruel (1985)
- Por Mirarte (1988)
- Nadie sale vivo de aquí (1989)
- Grabaciones Encontradas Vol. I (1993)
- Loco por Tí - Live in Ayacucho '88 (1994)
- Caballos Salvajes (1995)
- Grabaciones Encontradas Vol. II (1996)
- Alta Suciedad (1997)
- Las otras caras de Alta Suciedad (1998)
- Una Década Perdida (1998)
- Honestidad Brutal (1999)
- Alta Suciedad (Collector Series) (1999)
- El Salmón (2000)
- Duetos (2001)
- El Cantante (2004)
- El Regreso (2005)
- Tinta Roja (2006)
- Made in Argentina (DVD) (2006)
- El Palacio de las Flores (2006)
- La Lengua Popular (2007)
- Dos son Multitud (collaboration with Fito & Fitipaldis) (2008)
- Nada se Pierde (released by EFE EME magazine, with previous unpublished songs) (2009)
- On the Rock (2010)
- Bohemio (2013)
- Hijos del Pueblo (collaboration with Enrique Bunbury) (2015)
- Volumen 11 (2016)
- Cargar la Suerte (2018)
- Dios los Cría (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Andrés Calamaro para niños
