| Sandro | |
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Sandro in 1969 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roberto Julio Sánchez |
| Also known as | Sandro Sandro de América Gitano |
| Born | August 19, 1945, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | January 4, 2010 (aged 64) Mendoza, Argentina |
| Genres | Rock and roll, Latin pop |
| Occupations | Musician, actor, singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1960–2009 |
| Labels | CBS (1963–1974) RCA, EMI, Sonográfica Velvet, Universal Music, BMG Music, Sony music, Excalibur Records |
| Associated acts | Los de Fuego |
Roberto Julio Sánchez (August 19, 1945 – January 4, 2010), better known by his artist names Sandro/Sandro de América ("Sandro of America"), Gitano (gypsy), and the Argentine Elvis, was a notable Argentine singer and actor. He is considered one of the first rock artists to sing in Spanish in Latin America. He edited 52 official records and sold 8 million copies although other sources state that he sold over 22 million[1]. Some of his most successful songs are Dame fuego, Rosa, Rosa, Quiero llenarme de ti, Penumbras, Porque yo te amo, Así, Mi amigo el Puma, Tengo, Trigal, Una muchacha y una guitarra. Only the single Rosa, Rosa sold 2 million copies, being also his most recognizable and famous song. Other of his hits, "Tengo", was placed 15th amongst the 100 best Argentine rock songs by both MTV channel and Rolling Stone Magazine.
Sandro was also the first latin american artist to sing at Madison Square Garden, in 1970[2]. In 2005 Sandro was awarded with a Latin Grammy honoring his career.
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Sandro was born in Buenos Aires to Irma Nydia Ocampo and Vicente Sánchez in 1945. He was raised in the southern suburb of Valentín Alsina,[3] and learned to play the guitar as a child, identifying his music as Romani.[4] His paternal grandfather was Russian Rom from Hungary – Roma are known in Argentina as Gitanos (Gypsies).[3][5][6]
Initially, in his schooldays, he imitated King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley, but afterwards created a personal style that marked his career and became a pioneer in Spanish-language Rock music. He started the musical group Sandro & los de Fuego in 1961, which gained popularity on the TV show Sábados Circulares, and became wideley-known in the 1960s. With songs such as Ave de Paso, Atmósfera Pesada, Quiero Llenarme de Ti, Tengo, ¿A esto le llamas amor?, Eres el demonio disfrazado (cover of (You're The) Devil in Disguise), Porque yo te amo, Penumbras, Una muchacha y una guitarra, Trigal or Rosa Rosa, the success of his career kept growing steadily.
Sandro also had the leading role in various films, including Quiero llenarme de ti ("I Want to Fill Myself with You" – 1969) and Subí que te llevo ("Hop On, I'll Give You a Ride" – 1980), and directed one feature, Tú me enloqueces ("I'm Crazy About You"), in 1976.[7] His co-star in the latter film, Argentine actrees Susana Giménez, was offered a TV variety show after he refused to host it; Giménez's show, named Hola Susana, would become a ratings leader shortly after its 1987 launch.[8]
He also starred in two Soap Operas, notably Fue sin Querer ("I Didn't Mean to"), with Puerto Rican actress Gladys Rodríguez and Dominican Actor and Singer Dhario Primero.
He was the first Latino singer to sell out Madison Square Garden five times during the 1970s. Sandro was also the first singer to perform a television concert via satellite in the World's History. The concert was broadcast live from Madison Square Garden on April 1970, and marked the debut of a Latin American artist for a world audience. He also appeared a couple of times at The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as with Domenico Modugno, The Doors and many others.
Sandro's songs were re recorded by international artists such us Shirley Bassey, Liza Minnelli, Burt Bacharach, Dalida, Shirley MacLaine, Toto Cutugno, Nancy Wilson, Mary Hopkins, Loredana Berté, Umberto Tozzi, Gilbert Bécaud, Milva, Julio Iglesias, José Luis Rodríguez, Dhario Primero, or Engelbert Humperdinck, among others.
Argentine and other Latin American artists released an album in 1990 called Padre del rock en castellano ("Father of Spanish Rock") in his honor. Sandro continued releasing studio albums in the early 1990s and reappeared on stage in 1993 with a new show, that was presented at Teatro Gran Rex, the most prestigious popular music venue in Buenos Aires, performing 18 attendance-record–breaking consecutive concerts. The news that he suffered from emphysema were made public in 1998, causing a great generalized concern among his followers from all over the world. Sandro had been a self declared longtime cigarette smoking addict,[9] which undoubtedly was the main cause of the disease.
On November 20, 2009, Sandro received a heart-lung transplant in Mendoza, Argentina, the operation was a success. Five days later, in a daily press conference held by his doctors, it was reported that Sandro, although still in intensive care, was breathing without a respirator and that he had started a slow recovery. Nevertheless, in the evening of January 4, 2010, after 45 days of receiving the transplant, and after many complications, he died of septic shock, mesenteric ischemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation in the Hospital Italiano of Mendoza.[10]