Rodrigo (musician)

Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno (; May 24, 1973 – June 24, 2000), also known by his stage name Rodrigo or his nickname "El Potro" ("the Colt"), was an Argentine singer of cuarteto music. He is widely regarded as the best, most famous and most influential singer in the history of this genre. Bueno's style was marked by his on-stage energy and charisma. His short, dyed hair and casual clothes differed from typical cuarteto singers with strident colors and long curly hair. During his career, Bueno expanded cuarteto music to the Argentine national scene, remaining one of the main figures of the genre.

The son of Eduardo Alberto Bueno, a record shop owner and music producer, and Beatriz Olave, a songwriter and newsstand owner, Rodrigo Bueno was born into the cuarteto musical scene in Córdoba, Argentina. He first appeared on television at the age of two, on the show ''Fiesta de Cuarteto'', along with family friend Juan Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez. With the help of his father, he recorded an album of children's songs, ''Disco Baby'', at the age of five. During his preteen years he informally joined the local band Chébere during live performances. He dropped out of school at the age of twelve and successfully auditioned for the band Manto Negro. After five years without success in Córdoba, Bueno's father decided to try to launch his son's career as a soloist in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1990 Bueno released his first record, ''La Foto de tu Cuerpo'', on Polygram Records. Bueno introduced his next album, ''Aprendiendo a Vivir'', with a live performance at the nightclub Fantástico Bailable. The performance brought him his first recognition in the tropical music scene.

In 1995, Bueno signed a contract with Sony Music that lasted only for the release of the album ''Sabroso''; the next year he signed a contract with Magenta Records that granted him one percent of his record sales. He discarded salsa and merengue from his repertoire, recording and performing exclusively cuarteto. His first release with the label, ''Lo Mejor del Amor'', became an instant radio hit, earning him national fame and an ACE Award for Best Musical Act. The success was followed by ''La Leyenda Continúa'' (certified gold by CAPIF) and ''Cuarteteando''. His 1999 release ''A 2000'' became the theme of a series of concerts begun in the Astral Theater and held the following year in the Luna Park Arena under the name of ''Cuarteto Característico Rodrigo A 2000'' ("Characteristic Cuarteto, Rodrigo to 2000"). The show sold out the stadium thirteen times, while the album ''A 2000'' was certified quadruple platinum.

Bueno's schedule at the time included twenty-five to thirty shows weekly. Due to his demanding tours, Bueno began consuming beer to excess, which began to interfere with his performing. His stress level was further increased from receiving multiple death threats. Following a concert at the nightclub Escándalo in La Plata, Bueno was returning to the city of Buenos Aires on the evening of June 24, 2000. After his path was blocked by another driver who had passed him on the turnpike, Bueno tried to chase the vehicle to move in front of it again. In the process, he lost control of his SUV and crashed against a barrier. He was ejected from the SUV and he died on the spot. His death caused an immediate sensation in the Argentine media, with speculation about a possible murder conspiracy. After a short trial, the driver of the other vehicle was found not guilty; the judge considered Bueno to have been responsible for driving imprudently.

Career

Early life and beginnings in music

Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno was born on May 24, 1973, in Córdoba, Argentina as the first of three brothers. His father, Eduardo Alberto Bueno, was a record store owner and music producer for Columbia Records as well as BMG, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. His mother, Beatriz Olave, was a newsstand owner and songwriter. Growing up, Bueno was influenced by the cuarteto scene. He made his first television appearance at the age of two on the show ''Fiesta del Cuarteto''; he appeared with an acquaintance of the family, Juan Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez. Jiménez would later become his main musical influence, along with the bands Cuarteto de Oro, Berna and La Leo. During family meetings, Bueno would sing their songs for his relatives into a wooden microphone, a gift from his carpenter uncle.

At the age of five, with the help of his father, he recorded his first album, ''Disco Baby''. One of the songs from the set, a cover of a María Elena Walsh song, was used as the opening theme of the children's show ''Carozo y Narizota'', broadcast on El Trece (Channel 13) in Argentina.

Growing up, Bueno worked as a paperboy at the newsstand of his grandmother, Hortensia. In 1984, he attended concerts of the local band Chébere and was occasionally invited to join them on stage. The next year, he dropped out of school and started working at his father's record shop, where he sometimes sang for the customers. A friend of his father belonged to the local band Manto Negro and offered Rodrigo a spot in the band. This is where he formally started his career in music, signing his first contract and earning his first salary as a musician at age thirteen. Bueno had written songs since the age of ten, but he would not show them to his colleagues because of his grammar mistakes.

Becoming a soloist and rise to fame

As Rodrigo failed to achieve success in Córdoba after five years with ''Manto Negro'', his father and manager Eduardo decided to launch Rodrigo's career as a soloist in Buenos Aires. In 1990, he published his debut album, ''La Foto de tu Cuerpo'', through Polygram Records. Although he described himself as a "cuarteto fan", his first album had a rock style. In 1991, he published his next album, ''Aprendiendo a Vivir'', which he promoted with his first appearance in Buenos Aires at the nightclub Fantástico Bailable. The success of his performance propelled the sales of the record and gained Bueno the acknowledgement of the tropical music scene. It was followed by ''Completamente Enamorado'', ''Muy Bueno'' and ''Made in Argentina'', which met with moderate success. In 1993, his father died of a heart attack in Bueno's arms prior to a concert where he would promote his new release ''La Joya''. Bueno was forced to perform and later considered retiring.

After six months of mourning, he returned with ''Made in Córdoba''. As his popularity in Buenos Aires was rising, he left Polygram Records and signed a contract with Sony Music. During his short stint with the company, he recorded ''Sabroso'', composed of salsa and merengue songs. Despite Bueno's rising popularity, the recording executives still did not believe he could become a major success. After experimenting with salsa and merengue, then performing as a ballad crooner, he shifted his style and repertoire entirely to cuarteto. In 1996, he signed a contract with Magenta Records that gave him 1% of his total record sales. The songs from his first album release, ''Lo Mejor del Amor'', became major radio hits that propelled him to national fame and earned him an ACE Award for Best Musical Act from the Argentine Association of Entertainment Journalists. The next year he published ''La Leyenda Continua'', recorded live at Fantástico Bailable. The record was later certified gold by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. The success of those albums was followed by ''Cuarteteando'', which included the hit songs "Ocho Cuarenta" and "Y voló, voló". ''La Leyenda Continúa'' and ''Cuarteteando'' sold 60,000 copies each.

''Cuarteto Característico Rodrigo A 2000'' live performances

In December 1999, Bueno published the album ''A 2000'', which he promoted with a series of four sold-out concerts at the Astral Theater on Corrientes Avenue, the city's entertainment and cultural center. Bueno began 2000 with a major tour of Argentina's main summer spots on its Atlantic Coast. He performed 49 concerts in nine days, including one in front of more than 100,000 people in the tourist hotspot of Mar del Plata. Following the success of the show at the Astral Theater, Bueno presented a series of concerts called ''Cuarteto Característico Rodrigo A 2000'' (Characteristic Cuarteto, Rodrigo to 2000) in the Luna Park Arena starting on April 5, 2000.

The only rehearsal was performed with the band Cuarteto Leo, held in the club Mundo Bailable, owned by his manager Jose Luis Gozalo. Gozalo invested ARS80,000 (equivalent to US$ in )During the late 1980s until the crisis of 2001, Argentina adopted the suggestion of the IMF to fix the exchange rate of the Argentine peso (ARS) to 1ARS=1US$ () in publicity, while he requested Tito Lectoure, the owner of the arena, to advance him ARS50,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) from the ticket sales to pay previous debts. The show was also financed by the alfajor manufacturer Jorgito and the bus company Flecha Bus, while the wardrobe was provided by Ona Sáez. Due to the venue's fame for hosting boxing matches, the concerts were conceptualized with boxing elements. Bueno performed dressed in boxing trunks and made his entrance to the stage wearing a robe and walking through a hall in the crowd to the ring-themed stage, emulating a boxing match. With an estimated length of two-and-a-half hours, the show included original songs, as well as classics of the cuarteto genre as a tribute to his early influence Cuarteto Leo.

Gozalo negotiated the broadcast of the first concert with Azul Televisión. The filming of subsequent performances was halted by the Kirovsky brothers, owners of Magenta Records. The brothers sent a cease and desist order to the channel, claiming that Magenta owned Bueno's personality rights. The sold-out event, originally scheduled for eight performances, was extended to a total of thirteen sold-out concerts grossing a total of ARS1.3 million. (equivalent to US$ in ). Meanwhile, the album ''A 2000'' was certified quadruple platinum by CAPIF, selling 750,000 copies.

In addition to the show, Bueno was also performing an estimated of twenty-five to thirty concerts per week, including nightclubs, television and other concerts. On April 8, he received the keys to the city of Formosa after having offered a concert in spite of the celebrations of its 121st anniversary. Due to the effort that the appearances required, Bueno starting drinking beer to excess. His stress was also increased by multiple death threats, including a gang shooting near his house in Córdoba. He also received a bullet with his name engraved on it, according to recollections by Joaquín Levinton, lead singer of the band Turf.

His personal profits at the time came from receiving 1% royalties on an estimated ARS9 million (equivalent to US$ in ) in record sales, as well as an additional ARS600,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) for album re-editions and ARS500,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) for a merchandise deal with Torneos y Competencias. Affected by his lifestyle and by disputes with Magenta Records, Bueno announced his impending retirement on April 11, 2000. He detailed that he would finish his scheduled concerts, including a Christmas tour throughout the United States. His last live performance, scheduled to take place at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti

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