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“He was already singing on the radio and he would always say, ‘When are you going to join me?’ I never wanted to, until one day we formed a duo. “So it was my brother who had an enormous influence on my career,” Gatica told journalist Marisol García in a 2007 interview published in La Nación Domingo. But Arturo recognized his little brother’s talent early, and encouraged him to sing. Arturo started singing professionally in Rancagua when Lucho was only ten, a shy boy who would hide behind the door when the family gathered for sing-alongs at home.
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It was his brother Arturo, seven years his senior, who led the way in the music business.
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#CARLOS CUEVAS BOLEROS DEL ALMA PROFESSIONAL#
Gatica played harp and guitar, Lucho’s older brothers sang tangos and tonadas, from the regional folklore that would inform Lucho’s early work as a professional singer. The family banded together to face the hardships, and music always managed to lighten the burden. Lucho was only four when his father died, and his widowed mother went to work a seamstress to raise her children. As the youngest of seven siblings, his childhood nickname was “Pitico.” His mother, Juana Silva, was a homemaker who had a passion for music. His father, José Agustín Gatica, was a merchant and small farmer. Luis Enrique Gatica Silva was born on August 11, 1928, in Rancagua, a regional capital known for its wines and its copper mines. I respect that because I believe every artist has their own time. “But we must accept that young people have their own rhythms, their own style of singing. "There is certainly less romanticism nowadays,” he once said. As the years went by, he was often asked for his thoughts about the latest trends. Gatica was one of the few pop artists who managed to survive the ups and downs of the fickle music market. He is a man who has turned many strangers into lovers.” “For entire generations, his name has been almost synonymous with love. “Lucho Gatica has his name inscribed on the hearts, not only of Chileans of all ages, but also of romantics everywhere,” said Education Minister Mariana Aylwin in 2002 on the artist’s 50th anniversary when he was given his nation’s top award in the arts. Gatica passed away at his home in Mexico City. Last month, the voice of the artist known as El Rey del Bolero was silenced forever. Add to that his matinee-idol good looks and his on-stage charisma, and Gatica was destined for superstar status. His repertoire includes many distinctive interpretations of compositions still considered classics of the genre. The singer’s success was built on his unique ability to convey the romantic, lyrical, and passionate essence of the song style known as the bolero. In a career that spanned 70 years, he sold millions of records around the world, packed theaters and stadiums from Madrid to Manila, starred in movies, and became a celebrity in Hollywood where his friends included Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Gatica emerged from a small town in central Chile to become one of the most popular Latin American vocalists of all time. His name was Lucho Gatica, and he came from Chile. But in the 1950s, an exception to that rule became a sensation. During most of the 20th century, the world of Latin pop music was dominated by a handful of countries – Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, and of course, Spain.