Los Gatos

Considered by many as the founding fathers of rock in Argentina, Los Gatos were one of the first Argentine rock bands to write their own material, which was entirely sung in Spanish. The group was born from the ashes of Los Gatos Salvajes, another seminal rock’n’roll band whose lineup included singer Litto Nebbia, keyboardist Ciro Fogliatta, and bassist Alfredo Toth. After Los Gatos Salvajes’ demise in 1966, Nebbia, Fogliatta, and Toth teamed up with guitarist Kay Galifi and drummer Oscar Moroto form Los Gatos, making their debut with the 1967 single “La Balsa.” Co-written by Nebbia and the enigmatic Tanguito, the song’s unexpected success is often credited with birthing the Argentine rock movement or rock nacional. “La Balsa” sold over 200,000 copies and was included in their eponymous studio debut released later that year. Another eponymous LP followed in 1968, and so did Seremos Amigos, which adopted a more psychedelic sound. Towards the end of the decade, Los Gatos recruited Pappo for the heavier-sounding Beat N° 1 (1969) and then issued their swan song with the bluesy Rock de la Mujer Perdida (1970), their last studio album. Following the group’s dissolution, Nebbia embarked on a successful solo career and Pappo went on to form the blues rock outfit Pappo’s Blues. In 2007, the remaining members (Pappo died in 2005 and Oscar Moro in 2006) reconvened for a one-off show at Buenos Aires’ Teatro Gran Rex, spawning the live album Reunión 2007 En Vivo, which was re-released as En Vivo Gran Rex 2007 in 2015.