Alberto Cortez

José Alberto García Gallo (March 11, 1940), professionally known as Alberto Cortez, was an Argentine singer-songwriter and poet. Born in Rancul, La Pampa, he began playing music at the age of 6 and later studied classical piano at the Chopin Conservatory in San Rafael, Mendoza. During this time, he made his debut as a professional singer under the name Chiquito García with the Orquesta Arizona. Years later, he moved to Buenos Aires to attend college but dropped out shortly after to focus on his music career. Well-versed in genres like tango, jazz, and Argentine folklore, Alberto Cortez relocated to Europe in the early 1960s and settled in Antwerp, Belgium, where he recorded his first couple of hits with producer Willy van den Steen. Singles like "Sabor a Mí" and "Sucu Sucu" proved massively popular in Europe, with the latter reaching the top of the Belgian charts upon its release in 1960. Even though at this point he was very well-known in Spain, Alberto Cortez had yet to make a name for himself in his native Argentina. He would finally return in 1969 and achieve mainstream success with songs like "Mariana" (1971), "Mi Árbol y Yo" (1972), "Callejero" (1973), "A Partir de Mañana" (1979), and "Como el Primer Día," (1983). In 1992, he became the first popular musician to perform at Buenos Aires' Teatro Colón. Alberto Cortez passed away in Madrid on April 4, 2019, due to complications of a gastric hemorrhage. He was 79 years old.