Luis Alberto Spinetta (23 January 1950 – 8 February 2012), nicknamed "El Flaco" (Spanish for "skinny"), was an Argentine singer, guitarist, composer, writer and poet. One of the most influential

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

musicians of Argentina, he is widely regarded as one of the founders of

Argentine rock Argentine rock (known locally as ''rock nacional'' , "national rock" in the sense of "local", "not international") is rock music composed or performed by Argentina, Argentine bands or artists mostly in Spanish. Argentine rock was the earliest inc ...

, which is considered one of the first incarnations of

Spanish-language rock Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

. Born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, he was the founder of several iconic rock bands including Almendra,

Pescado Rabioso Pescado Rabioso (Rabid Fish) was an Argentine rock band led by musician Luis Alberto Spinetta from 1971 to 1973. Initially a trio accompanied by drummer Black Amaya and bassist Osvaldo "Bocón" Frascino, it became a quartet with the addition of k ...

Invisible Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light fr ...

, Spinetta Jade, and Spinetta y Los Socios del Desierto. In Argentina, January 23rd is celebrated as "Día Nacional del Músico" (National Musician's Day) in honor of Spinetta's birth. Spinetta devoted himself fully to his own music. In his lyrics, there are influences of multiple writers, poets and artists like

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he s ...

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

Gilles Deleuze Gilles Louis René Deleuze (18 January 1925 – 4 November 1995) was a French philosopher who, from the early 1950s until his death in 1995, wrote on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes o ...

, Carlos Castañeda and

Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

, whom the album ''

Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

'' (1973) is named after. In December 2011 he announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He died on 8 February 2012 at the age of 62.''Murió Luis Alberto Spinetta''
His ashes were scattered in Buenos Aires in the waters of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, according to his last wish.

Biography

Luis Alberto Spinetta was born on 23 January 1950 as the second of three siblings: Ana María and Carlos Gustavo, the latter of which also became a musician, to Luis Santiago and Julia (née Ramírez), and grew up in the neighborhood of

Núñez Núñez (, anglicized as Nunez) is a Spanish surname. The Portuguese (and Old Galician) variant is Nunes. Notable people with the name include: Academia * Antonio Núñez Jiménez, Cuban revolutionary and academic * Jorge Núñez Prida, Mexi ...

. His childhood home was only two blocks away from the Estadio Monumental.. Luis Santiago was an amateur

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

singer who formed a group accompanied by guitarists and performed on several radio stations.. Through his father, Spinetta was of Italian descent, as his great-grandfather was from the municipality of

Carrega Ligure Carrega Ligure is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria, in the upper Ligurian Apennines in the Val Borbera. Carrega Ligure ...

in the

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

region. Amid the

counterculture of the 1960s The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon and political movement that developed in the Western world during the mid-20th century. It began in the early 1960s, and continued through the early 1970s. It is ofte ...

and the political turmoil in Argentina, several artists during this time would develop Luis Alberto's musical range, especially the work of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. In one such case for example in 1964, during the height of

Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles from 1963 to 1966. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom in late 1963, propelled by the singles " Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and " She Loves Yo ...

, after winning a local music competition, Spinetta used the earnings to purchase their recently released album, ''Beatles for Sale''. Spinetta also credited

Los Shakers Los Shakers were a popular rock band in the 1960s and was a part of the Uruguayan Invasion in Latin America. They were heavily influenced by the look and sound of The Beatles. In the late 1960s they would broaden and expand their musical direct ...

, a

Uruguayan Uruguayans () are people identified with the country of Uruguay, through citizenship or descent. Uruguay is home to people of different ethnic origins. As a result, many Uruguayans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizen ...

rock ban heavily influenced by the look and sound to that of the Beatles, and their leader,

Hugo Fattoruso Hugo Fattoruso (born 29 June 1943) is a Uruguayan composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. As well as developing a career as a soloist, he has participated and performed in many different genres: Trío Fattoruso (with his son Fran ...

. With these personal and cultural influences, Spinetta began to compose songs from a very young age, even before learning to play an instrument, even composing a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

about

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. He was a member of a group of intellectuals, known as the '' Generation of 1837'', who had a great influence on 19th-century Argent ...

.. In a 1988 interview, Spinetta said, "I had fun imitating singers, copying sounds. That's why music was born in me before words." Spinetta also began singing tango songs and, from the age of four, his family, especially his uncles, encouraged him to sing at family gatherings. The influence of tango would be noticeable throughout Spinetta’s work. Three of his uncle worked at

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

which allowed him access to a wide variety of musical expressions at a time when access to records was very expensive. Spinetta said several times that his artistic debut took place in 1964 in a television contest called ''Escala Musical'' on

El Trece Canal 13 (known by its current brand name El Trece, stylized as eltrece) is an Argentine free-to-air television network and the flagship station of the network of the same name, located in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. It is owned by ...

, although his father mentions that year he also sang in a children's program called ''La pandilla One and Two,'' later known as ''Pandilla Uanantú'', which was broadcast on

El Nueve Channel 9, known by its brand name El Nueve (stylized as elnueve) is an Argentine free-to-air television network based in Buenos Aires with programming centred on general entertainment. History Origins and first Romay ownership After the fall of ...

between March and May 1964. Having grown near Estadio Monumental, Spinetta was a lifelong supporter of

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city's estuary, Río de la Plata. ...

, having mentioned the club in his song, "El anillo del Capitán Beto," a track from the album '' El jardín de los presentes'' during his tenure with

.. Spinetta was married to Patricia Salazar from 1976 until 1995. The couple had four children: Catarina,

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

, Valentino and

Vera Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarr ...

Music

1960s and 1970s

In 1969, Spinetta's band, Almendra, recorded their self-titled first album. They started recording and playing intensively, becoming successful almost overnight. Almendra composed their own songs and their lyrics were written in Spanish, something which was still new for Argentine rock music. After two albums that were received with critical acclaim and continuous radio exposure, the band split. After a lengthy stay in Europe, Spinetta returned to Argentina and afterwards formed a new band, named

. With a far more powerful sound and expressing through their songs the tension of the streets in an increasingly violent Argentina, Pescado made their album debut in 1972. It was both a continuation of the creative stream of Spinetta and a drastic change in the style of his own music and lyrics. Later, the band recorded a second album named Pescado 2. Although a third album, released in 1973 and called ''

,'' carried the band's name, the band had actually already dissolved. Therefore, it was mostly a solo album by Spinetta himself. Partly inspired by the writings of

Theatre of Cruelty The Theatre of Cruelty (, also ) is a form of theatre conceptualised by Antonin Artaud. Artaud, who was briefly a member of the surrealist movement, outlined his theories in a series of essays and letters, which were collected as '' The Theatre an ...

creator

, particularly his essays ''Van Gogh, le suicidé de la société'' ("

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

, the suicide by society") and ''Héliogabale ou l'Anarchiste couronné'' (" Heliogabalus, or the anarchist crowned"), Spinetta exorcised many of the demons of his past in this album. He simultaneously released a manifesto entitled ''Rock: música dura, la suicidada por la sociedad'' ("Rock: tough music, suicided by society"), a reference to Artaud's essay, in which he denounced the nihilistic hedonism and commercialisation he saw as having corrupted rock music. This process would open the door to a new era in his music. In 1974, Spinetta formed a new band,

, whose music was based in

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

and

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

. With his new band he recorded three albums: ''Invisible'', ''Durazno Sangrando'' and '' El jardín de los presentes''. In the latter, Spinetta took a novel approach, incorporating elements of

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

into his sound. After recording and editing a failed album in the United States in 1979, with lyrics in English and destined to the U.S.

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

, Spinetta returned to Argentina to record two albums with a short-lived Almendra revival (one with original songs and the other live), and embarked on a new project, Spinetta Jade.

1980s and beyond

Spinetta Jade would prove to be a successful and innovative band; Spinetta was joined by some of the most acclaimed Argentine musicians to help him build the new sound he was building since Invisible. The product: a blend of jazz and rock that was unseen in Argentina drawing away from the

symphonic rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the ...

that dominated the middle 70s, and escaping the boom of new wave,

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, glam pop etc that reached both the world and Argentina in the 1980s. These four albums, ''Alma de Diamante'' (1980), ''Los Niños que Escriben en el Cielo'' (1981), ''Bajo Belgrano'' (1983) and ''Madre en Años Luz'' (1984), represent a defined style as well as the footprints of Spinetta's evolution. Spinetta and

Charly García Carlos Alberto García Moreno (born October 23, 1951), better known by his stage name Charly García, is an Argentine singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer, considered one of the most important rock musicians in ...

(with their respective bands at the moment, Jade and Serú Giran) joined efforts and gave what was considered amongst the most important shows in the history of Argentine rock. After dissolving Spinetta Jade in 1984, Spinetta worked on an album with Charly, but eventually they abandoned their efforts. Only two songs remain of the ill-fated effort, "Rezo por Vos" and "Total Interferencia". By 1982, Spinetta had restarted his solo projects. ''Kamikaze'' (1982) puts together a number of previously unreleased songs (one gem is an early song he composed in 1965 called "Barro Tal Vez"). In ''Mondo Di Cromo'' (1983) Spinetta's new production, from 1986 to 1993, would include four solo albums (''Privé'', 1986), ''Téster de Violencia'' (1988), ''Don Lucero'' (1989), ''Pelusón of Milk ''(1991), a joint album with

Fito Páez Rodolfo Páez, popularly known as Fito Páez (; born 13 March 1963), is an Argentine rock and roll musician and filmmaker. He was member of the "Trova Rosarina" and is known as "The Troubadour of Argentine Rock", and is considered an important ...

, another Argentine great (''La La La'', 1986), and the soundtrack of the movie ''

Fuego Gris A list of films produced in Argentina in 1994 in film, 1994: External links and references Argentine films of 1994
at the Internet Movie Database {{Cinema of Argentina Lists of Argentine films by year, 1994 Lists of 1994 films by country, ...

'' (named after the film, 1993). After a long hiatus, largely due to Spinetta's conflicts with recording companies, he finally opened a new period in his music with his new band: Spinetta y los Socios del Desierto. Over three years (1997–1999) the band released four albums. Two studio albums, the double ''Socios del Desierto'' (1997) and ''Los Ojos'' (1999) would bring a new sound. The band made an

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

live album, ''Estrelicia'' (1998), which, because of its soft acoustics, contrasts with their live album, ''San Cristóforo'' (1998). As Spinetta said at the beginning of the first concert, "Fans de lo acústico, abstenerse" ("Fans of acoustic music, refrain"). In 1998, he selected the featured songs and artwork of a greatest hits album called ''Elija y Gane'', which was released the same year. The band dissolved quietly towards the end of 1999. Spinetta started a solo career, including ''Silver Sorgo'' (2001), ''Obras en Vivo'' (2002), a live album, ''Para Los Árboles'' (2003), ''Camalotus'' (2004), a single of three unreleased songs and one remix, ''Pan'' (2006) and ''Un Mañana'' (2008). In 2005, he received the Platinum

Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The p ...

for best rock soloist of the 1995–2005 decade. A number of books and TV documentaries have been devoted to him, like Argentine writer

Eduardo Berti Eduardo Berti (1964) is an Argentine writer born in Buenos Aires. He has been living in Paris, France, since 1998. He also works as a cultural journalist. Biography His novel ''La mujer de Wakefield'', a re-write of Nathaniel Hawthorne's ''Wakefi ...

's, which includes a long conversation with Spinetta, among many others Spinetta celebrated his 40 years in music with a five-and-a-half-hour concert called "Spinetta y las Bandas Eternas" (Spinetta and The Eternal Bands) in front of 40 thousand fans at Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires. It was later considered by Argentine music critics as "the greatest gig of the decade".

Death

Spinetta died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at 62 years of age on 8 February 2012.

Recognition

On 23 January 2020,

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

celebrated his 70th birthday with a

Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...

Discography

Almendra

Studio albums * '' Almendra'' (1969) * ''Almendra II'' (1970) * ''El Valle Interior'' (1980) Live albums * ''Almendra en Obras I/II'' (1980)

Pescado Rabioso

* ''Desatormentándonos'' (1972) * '' Pescado 2'' (1973) * ''

'' (1973)

Invisible

Studio albums * ''Invisible'' (1974) * ''Durazno Sangrando'' (1975) * '' El jardín de los presentes'' (1976) Non-album singles * "Estado de coma" (1974) *"La llave del Mandala" (1974) * "Viejos ratones del tiempo" (1974) Live albums * ''En Vivo Teatro Coliseo 1975'' (2022)

Spinetta Jade

* ''Alma de Diamante'' (1980) * ''Los Niños Que Escriben En El Cielo'' (1981) * ''Bajo Belgrano'' (1983) * ''Madre en Años Luz'' (1984)

Spinetta y los Socios del Desierto

Studio albums * ''Socios del Desierto'' (1996) * ''Los Ojos'' (1999) Live albums * ''San Cristóforo'' (1998)

Solo

Studio albums * ''Spinettalandia y Sus Amigos - La Búsqueda de la Estrella'' (1971) * ''Artaud'' (1973, edited as an album of ''Pescado Rabioso'') * ''A 18´ del Sol'' (1977) * ''Only Love Can Sustain'' (1980) (''Solo el Amor Puede Sostener'') * ''Kamikaze'' (1982) * ''Mondo Di Cromo'' (1983) * ''Privé'' (1986) * ''La La La'' (1986, con

) * ''Téster de Violencia'' (1988) * ''Don Lucero'' (1989) * ''Pelusón of Milk'' (1991) * ''Fuego Gris'' (1993, soundtrack) * ''Silver Sorgo'' (2001) * ''Para los Árboles'' (2003) * ''Camalotus'' (2004) * ''Pan'' (2006) * ''Un Mañana'' (2008) * ''Los Amigo'' (2015, posthumous) Live albums * ''Exactas'' (1990, live) * ''Estrelicia ''(1997, MTV Unplugged) * ''San Cristóforo: Un Sauna de Lava Eléctrico'' (1998, live) * ''Argentina Sorgo Films Presenta: Spinetta Obras'' (2002, live) * ''Spinetta y las Bandas Eternas'' (2010, live) * ''Presentación ARTAUD - 1973 - Teatro Astral'' (2020, official bootleg) * ''Presentación ARTAUD - 1973 - Teatro Astral Vol. 2'' (2021, official bootleg) Compilations * ''Elija y Gane'' (1999, greatest hits) * ''Ya no mires atrás'' (2020, unreleased material) (recorded 2008–09)

Poetry

* 1978: ''Guitarra negra'' (English: "Black Guitar"). Buenos Aires: Ediciones Tres Tiempos.

References

External links

*
Official Page
(Spanish)
Biography at Rock.com.ar
(Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Spinetta, Luis Alberto 1950 births 2012 deaths Argentine male guitarists 20th-century Argentine male singers Argentine male singer-songwriters Argentine people of Italian descent People of Ligurian descent Argentine singer-songwriters Argentine multi-instrumentalists 21st-century Argentine male singers Deaths from lung cancer in Argentina Musicians from Buenos Aires Rock en español musicians Latin music songwriters Rock songwriters