Facundo Cabral | |
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![]() Image of Argentine singer Facundo Cabral from the album "Pateando tachos" in 1984 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Rodolfo Enrique Cabral Camiñas |
Also known as | El Indio Gasparino |
Born | La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina | May 22, 1937
Origin | La Plata, Argentina |
Died | July 9, 2011 Guatemala City, Guatemala | (aged 74)
Genres | Troubadour, folklore, folk rock, protest |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, poet |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
Years active | 1959–2011 |
Labels | RCA Victor |
Facundo Cabral (born Rodolfo Enrique Cabral Camiñas; May 22, 1937 – July 9, 2011)[1] was an Argentine singer and songwriter.
He was best known as the composer of "No soy de aquí ni soy de allá"[2] ("I'm not from here and not from there"), "Pobrecito mi Patron" ("My Poor Boss"), and many other compositions. His songs have been covered by multiple Spanish language performers such as Jorge Cafrune, Alberto Cortez, Juan Luis Guerra, and Joan Manuel Serrat. Cabral protested military dictatorships in Latin America through activism and art from the 1970s onward, and his music combined mysticism and spirituality with calls for social justice and equality.[3]
After touring the world, Cabral enjoyed popularity in his home country during the early 1980s, when Argentine radio demanded local content after the Falklands War. He was popular throughout Latin America in his lifetime and still enjoys a sizeable posthumous legacy throughout the continent. For his advocacy for peace through his work, Facundo Cabral was named a UNESCO Messenger of Peace in 1996.[4][5]