Alfredo Zitarrosa

Alfredo Zitarrosa, also known as "El Cantor," was a singer, songwriter, poet and journalist from Uruguay. He was born on March 10, 1936 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He began his career in media as a radio announcer, which would later flourish into a career as a TV presenter, actor, and journalist throughout the 1950s. Though he had always been interested in music, it was only in the mid 1960s that he started to perform as a singer, performing on a radio show in Peru. This led to further performances throughout Uruguay and Argentina, and eventually found himself performing at large festivals. In 1966, he released Canta Zitarrosa, his debut full-length album, which garnered acclaim all throughout Uruguay. He became known as one of the great voices in Latin American folk music, with his sound blending elements of rural folk music with tango, candombe, and milonga. He was also particularly notable for his political activism. The explicitly political nature of many of his songs led to his music being banned in Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile, and to his eventual exile during the military dictatorship in Uruguay. After spending a few years in Spain and Mexico, Alfredo Zitarrosa was able to return to his native country in 1984, following the fall of the dictatorship. He continued performing and recording until his death on January 17, 1989. The following decades saw the release of several posthumous compilations, including Antologia III 1936-1989 (1996), which featured hit singles such as "Candombe del Olvido," "Dile a la Vida," and "Los Gauchos Judíos."