Palito Ortega

Rising to prominence in the 1960s as one of the most celebrated architects of the Argentine new wave movement, seasoned crooner Ramón “Palito” Ortega enjoyed a long and fulfilling career as a musician before retiring from the industry and crossing over into the political realm. Born on March 8th, 1941 in Lules, Tucumán, he relocated to the capital in his early teens, strategically setting up camp as a barista opposite a famous TV station where he began to opportunistically network with thirsty music moguls. After such an encounter with famed local band Carlinhos y su Banda, he struck up a rapport with the group, landing a role as their drummer and learning on the job despite having never previously trained in the instrument. Finding himself increasingly popular, he eventually parted ways with the group to pursue a solo career in the early sixties. Initially adopting the pseudonyms Nery Nelson and Tony Varano, under which he released a series of little-known DIY albums, he soon landed a deal with RCA in 1962, with whom he promptly released an eponymous debut album under the Palito moniker. Maintaining a relentless release cycle, often including several albums a year, he also raised his profile with a lengthy acting career, with many of his soundtrack offerings proving to be smash hits. These included renditions of “La Felicidad”, recorded for the TV show El Club del Clan, “Despeinada”, which he sung during the 1963 film Un viaje al más allá, and “Corazón contento”, the theme for the 1969 film of the same name. Bowing out of the music industry intermittently in the following decades, Ortega went on to enter office as the governor of his hometown in 1991, later securing a four-year term as a senator under the Justicialist Party banner in 1995. After breaking from politics at the turn of the millennium, he refocused his efforts on music, continuing to tour and release new material into the 21st century.