Musician’s Day in Argentina: why is it celebrated and what relationship does it have with Luis Alberto Spinetta?

For a few years now, the Musician’s Day It is commemorated on January 23 in Argentina in memory of one of the greatest artists in national and Latin American history: Luis Alberto Spinetta. With an extensive career, he led groups such as Almendra and Pescado Rabioso, while later standing out as a soloist. He is honored for his contribution to the identity of national rock, his voice and his infinite poetry captured in his lyrics.

Luis Alberto Spinetta was born on January 23, 1950 in Villa Urquiza, within a family of artists. His father was a tango singer and his uncles were part of the Columbia record label, which fueled his interest in music from the beginning.

Why January 23 is Musician’s Day in Argentina

After the death of Spinetta in 2012, the National Congress sanctioned in 2014 the Law 27,106which established andl National Musician’s Day to commemorate his legacy and contribution to music. The law came into effect on January 20, 2015, since when this day has been organized to highlight the talent of musicians from all over the country and disseminate national genres.

LAS: a musician forever

At the age of 17, he created Almond next to Emilio del Guercio, Rodolfo Garcia and Edelmiro Molinari. The group was characterized by its nostalgic and soft compositions. Two years later, they released their first studio album, Almond I, with great popularity for topics such as “Paper eyes girl” and “Prayer for a sleeping child”.

In 1970, they published the second and last of their albums, Almond II. With a short career, they established themselves as one of the most influential bands in the country and became classics of popular culture. In any case, “El Flaco” continued working with his teammates. Almond.

In 1971, together with Black Amaya, Carlos Cutaia and Osvaldo “Bocón” Frascino -later replaced by David Lebón-, believe Mad Fish. His first studio work was Distorting ourselvesan album whose songs reached the top 100 of MTV. His second work was Fish 2which was declared the 19th best album in the history of Argentine rock by the magazine Rolling Stone. After launching its third installment, Artaudthe band broke up in 1973.

“All the leaves are from the wind“, “They go down“, “Cemetery Club“, “Yellow Bridges Cantata“, “The true thirst” and “The gossip of the world” are some of the most popular singles of this band. Although Pescado Rabioso also had a short duration, they managed to position themselves as one of the most important groups in Latin American music.