Benito Lerchundi Ansoain, known as Benito Lertxundi, was born 6 January 1942 in Orio, Gipuzkoa, Spain, and is a Basque singer-songwriter and musician. After studying art and working as a woodcarver, he won a Donostia singing contest in 1965, joining the group Ez Dok Amairu, which helped revive Basque culture during Francoism. His solo debut Benito Lertxundi came in 1969, followed by albums such as Oro Laño Mee Batek (1974), Zuberoa – Askatasunaren Semeei (1977), Gaueko Ele Ixilen Balada (1985), and Ospakizun Gauean (2018). He received the Gipuzkoa Urrezko Domina in 2014 and the Adarra Award in 2016. He collaborated with the Paul Winter Consort in 2019, performed internationally, and retired after a 2024 Gernika concert.
