Piero De Benedictis
Encyclopedia
Piero De Benedictis (born April 19, 1945) is an Italian
-born Argentine
folk singer
who also holds Colombia
n citizenship.
When he was three years old, De Benedictis' family moved from Italy
to Argentina
. He grew up outside Buenos Aires
, and, for a time, during his youth, he attended a Catholic seminary.
Initially De Benedictis sang songs in Italian
, including the single, "Alla Cara, Cara Nonna," but after teaming up with lyricist Jose Tcherkaski, he won the Third Festival Buenos Aires de la Canción in 1969 with the Spanish
song "Como Somos," performed by Fedra and Maximiliano. He quickly became very popular in Argentina, and elsewhere in Latin America
. His first two albums, the eponymous "Piero," and "Pedro Nadie," contained any number of hits: "Mi Viejo," Juan Boliche," Vengo," "Tengo la Piel Cansada de la Tarde," "De Ves en Cuando Viene Bien Dormir," "Pedro Nadie" (which won the 1970 Rio de Janiero Festival), "Llegando, Llegaste," and "Y Todo Los Dias."
With his third album, "Coplas de Mi Pais" (1972), Piero presented a set of intermittently political songs, including "Los Americanos," a good-natured sendup of North Americans written by Alberto Cortez
, and the powerful "Coplas de Mi Pais," which testifies to years of impoverishment and political repression in Argentina. With this third album too, Piero initiated a trend towards releasing live versions of new songs, performed before a very audible audience (coughing, and thunderous applause)--in many cases, never recording complimentary studio versions.
In July 1973, Piero participated in a concert of politically progressive musicians, which became the independently-released LP "Cancionero de la Liberacion," an LP that, during the subsequent Argentinian dictatorship, was considered subversive and forbidden. By his fourth album, "Para el Pueblo Lo Que es del Pueblo," Piero was full-blown political, identified with the leftist "Young" Peronists, who, along with "Old" rightwing Peronists, campaigned for and then celebrated the return of the long-exiled Juan Perón
to Argentina in 1973. Released shortly after the coup in Chile
that occasioned the deaths of President Salvador Allende
and protest singer Victor Jara
, among countless less famous victims, the album is dedicated to Jara, and on it, Piero sings Jara's "Te Recuerdo Amanda," in addition to Piero/Jose's "Para el Pueblo lo Que Es Del Pueblo" (which actually appeared initally on "Cancionero de la Liberacion"), and "Que Se Vayan Ellos," an impassioned plea for the exit of the military from domestic politics.
His fifth album is a delightful set of children's songs, "Sinfonia Inconclusa en la Mar," all but one written by Alejandro Mayol; his sixth album is a set of traditional folk songs, "Folklore a Mi Manera." By this time, Perón was dead, his wife had been overthrown, and another military dictatorship was installed (In fact Piero's children's and folk records were released when more political releases weren't possible, given the prevailing political atmosphere).
Piero spent five years in exile--first, and very briefly in Panama, followed by Italy, where he recorded his seventh album, "Y Mi Gente Donde Va," a set of songs written in Italian by Oscar Prudente and Ivano Fossati
, for which Piero/Jose crafted Spanish lyrics, which utilized the same musical tracks as the 1975 Italian album (and title song), "Il Mondo Di Frutta Candita," performed by Gianni Morandi
. (Piero/Jose's Spanish-langauge adaptation, "Un Mundo de Fruta Encendida," would prove to be one of Piero's most enduring performances, along with the set's lovely "Fabulas De Mar.") This Italian-produced record, initially released only in Spain, would be Piero's only LP during his years in exile. Piero finally settled in Spain, in a village outside Madrid, where he remained until 1981.
He, along with many other Argentineans, returned to Argentina in 1981, whereupon he released a two disc LP of his "homecoming" live performance, "Calor Humano." The set included songs from the Italian LP, along with numerous new songs, several of which were given studio treatment on his next release, "Canto de La Ternura"--including the classic songs "Soy Pan Soy Paz Soy Mas," initial evidence of Piero's emerging spiritual (and distinctly pacifist) side, and "Miedo Nino," a wonderful evocation of boyhood, which metaphorically conflates a child's yearning for self-determination with Argentina's struggles towards political freedom. "Calor Humano" also introduced one of Piero's most spiritual and signature songs, "Manso y Tranquilo," one verse of which perfectly embodies his unique variety of spirituality:
"Buscando, qué hacer para llegar a dios, nos dicen, sigan el sol. Ese sol...que vive en el corazón, es el representante exclusivo de Dios."
("Seeking, what to do to reach God, we are told, follow the sun. This sun...that lives in the heart, is the exclusive representative of God.")
Upon his return to Argentina, he also released an LP of re-interpretations of many of his best-known songs from his first three LPs, fittingly entitled "Recuerdos."
Towards the end of 1982, Piero performed at the 4th B.A. Rock (Buenos Aires Rock), which occurred shortly after Argentina's devastating defeat at the hands of Great Britain in the Falkland War (or, as per Argentina, the Guerra de las Malvinas ), a defeat that contributed greatly to the demise of the dictatorship. This huge festival was something of a "Woodstock" for Argentina's counter-cultural youth, and was documented on a double-LP, and in a feature film by director Héctor Olivera
, "Buenos Aires Rocks." There, Piero famously distributed 40,000 white carnations to members of the audience, purchased with his festival earnings.
Social, economic and spiritual concerns evolve in Piero's music with subsequent releases in the 1980s--"Un Hombre Comun," which contains the song "La Induacion Numero No Se Cuanto," about a campesino beleaguered by flooding; "Que Generosa Sos Mi Tierra," which includes "Guajira de la Unidad," a powerful assertion of Pan-Americanism, along with the stirring title tune; and "El Regalao," which contains "Milonga de lo Peor," along with the title tune, and the simultanously spiritual and political "Con Amor...Ojala," towards the end of which the singer enumerates a list of "hopes," among them that there cease to be children who have to sleep on the streets. His subsequent "Las Galaxias Nos Miran" includes "America es Asi, Loca y Terrible," and "El Soldado Aubert," about a casualty of the Malvinas/Falklands War, and shares several songs in common with the simultaneously-released Colombian LP "Gaviota," which additionally contains numerous re-recordings of earlier songs.
1987 saw the release of "20 Años", a greatest hits album that contained the new release, "Mis Hermanos Los de Abajo", "los de abajo" signifying "those on the bottom," or, in other words "los pobres." In 1988 he released a 3-LP compilation of from Piero/Jose's vast songbook, "Triptico," divided into three themed discs: "Testimonio," "Amor" and "Esperanza." At least one new song, "Para Ti Colombia," is included in this set, which testifies to Piero's fondness for what would become his "second home" during much of the 1990s, Colombia.
In 1989 he released the LP "A Pesar de Los Pesares," containing the haunting title song, and another children's record, "Un Cachuso Rantifuso," an "operetta" in collaboration with Juan Carlos Baglietto
and Piero's longtime comrade and colleague Marilina Ross, the film actress turned Peronista turned singer.
In the 1990s, Piero dedicated himself to social works, primarily, and lived mostly in Colombia
. He was awarded Colombian citizenship
by Colombian president Ernesto Samper
. Piero now has three nationalities: Italian, Argentine and Colombian.
His politically progressive troubadour friends include(d) Pablo Milanes
, Mercedes Sosa
, and Isabel Parra
.
He actively campaigned for Evo Morales
in Bolivia
, who won the Bolivian presidency, and they maintain the friendship. He served for years as the Subsecretary of Culture of Buenos Aires Province
. In the 1980s, while on tour, he met guru Indra Devi
, who he persuaded to move to Buenos Aires, where she initiated numerous yoga centers, and helped inspire Piero to found his Fundación Buenas Ondas (Good Vibrations Foundation), which has long been dedicated to bettering the lives of poor youths who might be described as "street kids."
In 2001, the CD "30 Años de Canciones Blindadas" contained several new songs, including the Piero/Jose composition, "El Jardin de Los Sueños." Several recent Piero songs can be heard on his website, pieroonline.com, including "Bolivia es Cómo un Barco que Sale al Mar," "Avisos Clasificados," "Amazonia," "Solo Un Gorrión," and "América." The CD re-issue of his LP from 1973, "Sinfonia Inconclusa en la Mar," was nominated for a 2011 Latin Grammy Award for Best Children's Album.
Piero's Complete Discography
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-born Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
folk singer
Folk Singer
Folk Singer is a 1964 album by Muddy Waters. Waters plays acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar...
who also holds Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n citizenship.
When he was three years old, De Benedictis' family moved from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He grew up outside Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, and, for a time, during his youth, he attended a Catholic seminary.
Initially De Benedictis sang songs in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, including the single, "Alla Cara, Cara Nonna," but after teaming up with lyricist Jose Tcherkaski, he won the Third Festival Buenos Aires de la Canción in 1969 with the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
song "Como Somos," performed by Fedra and Maximiliano. He quickly became very popular in Argentina, and elsewhere in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. His first two albums, the eponymous "Piero," and "Pedro Nadie," contained any number of hits: "Mi Viejo," Juan Boliche," Vengo," "Tengo la Piel Cansada de la Tarde," "De Ves en Cuando Viene Bien Dormir," "Pedro Nadie" (which won the 1970 Rio de Janiero Festival), "Llegando, Llegaste," and "Y Todo Los Dias."
With his third album, "Coplas de Mi Pais" (1972), Piero presented a set of intermittently political songs, including "Los Americanos," a good-natured sendup of North Americans written by Alberto Cortez
Alberto Cortez
Alberto Cortez is an Argentine singer and songwriter. Cortez and his wife live in Madrid.Cortez was born in Rancul, La Pampa Province, Argentina, March 13, 1938. At the age of six entered in the elementary school and at the same time to the conservatory Alberto Williams. He begins to compose songs...
, and the powerful "Coplas de Mi Pais," which testifies to years of impoverishment and political repression in Argentina. With this third album too, Piero initiated a trend towards releasing live versions of new songs, performed before a very audible audience (coughing, and thunderous applause)--in many cases, never recording complimentary studio versions.
In July 1973, Piero participated in a concert of politically progressive musicians, which became the independently-released LP "Cancionero de la Liberacion," an LP that, during the subsequent Argentinian dictatorship, was considered subversive and forbidden. By his fourth album, "Para el Pueblo Lo Que es del Pueblo," Piero was full-blown political, identified with the leftist "Young" Peronists, who, along with "Old" rightwing Peronists, campaigned for and then celebrated the return of the long-exiled Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
to Argentina in 1973. Released shortly after the coup in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
that occasioned the deaths of President Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
and protest singer Victor Jara
Víctor Jara
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter, political activist and member of the Communist Party of Chile...
, among countless less famous victims, the album is dedicated to Jara, and on it, Piero sings Jara's "Te Recuerdo Amanda," in addition to Piero/Jose's "Para el Pueblo lo Que Es Del Pueblo" (which actually appeared initally on "Cancionero de la Liberacion"), and "Que Se Vayan Ellos," an impassioned plea for the exit of the military from domestic politics.
His fifth album is a delightful set of children's songs, "Sinfonia Inconclusa en la Mar," all but one written by Alejandro Mayol; his sixth album is a set of traditional folk songs, "Folklore a Mi Manera." By this time, Perón was dead, his wife had been overthrown, and another military dictatorship was installed (In fact Piero's children's and folk records were released when more political releases weren't possible, given the prevailing political atmosphere).
Piero spent five years in exile--first, and very briefly in Panama, followed by Italy, where he recorded his seventh album, "Y Mi Gente Donde Va," a set of songs written in Italian by Oscar Prudente and Ivano Fossati
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati is an Italian pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and percussionist born in Genoa. Fossati has several albums to date and has worked with such musicians as Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi,Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Francesco De Gregori and...
, for which Piero/Jose crafted Spanish lyrics, which utilized the same musical tracks as the 1975 Italian album (and title song), "Il Mondo Di Frutta Candita," performed by Gianni Morandi
Gianni Morandi
Gianni Morandi is an Italian pop singer and entertainer.He made his debut in 1962 and quickly placed high at or won a number of Italian popular song festivals, including the Canzonissima festival in 1969. In 1970, he represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with "Occhi di ragazza"...
. (Piero/Jose's Spanish-langauge adaptation, "Un Mundo de Fruta Encendida," would prove to be one of Piero's most enduring performances, along with the set's lovely "Fabulas De Mar.") This Italian-produced record, initially released only in Spain, would be Piero's only LP during his years in exile. Piero finally settled in Spain, in a village outside Madrid, where he remained until 1981.
He, along with many other Argentineans, returned to Argentina in 1981, whereupon he released a two disc LP of his "homecoming" live performance, "Calor Humano." The set included songs from the Italian LP, along with numerous new songs, several of which were given studio treatment on his next release, "Canto de La Ternura"--including the classic songs "Soy Pan Soy Paz Soy Mas," initial evidence of Piero's emerging spiritual (and distinctly pacifist) side, and "Miedo Nino," a wonderful evocation of boyhood, which metaphorically conflates a child's yearning for self-determination with Argentina's struggles towards political freedom. "Calor Humano" also introduced one of Piero's most spiritual and signature songs, "Manso y Tranquilo," one verse of which perfectly embodies his unique variety of spirituality:
"Buscando, qué hacer para llegar a dios, nos dicen, sigan el sol. Ese sol...que vive en el corazón, es el representante exclusivo de Dios."
("Seeking, what to do to reach God, we are told, follow the sun. This sun...that lives in the heart, is the exclusive representative of God.")
Upon his return to Argentina, he also released an LP of re-interpretations of many of his best-known songs from his first three LPs, fittingly entitled "Recuerdos."
Towards the end of 1982, Piero performed at the 4th B.A. Rock (Buenos Aires Rock), which occurred shortly after Argentina's devastating defeat at the hands of Great Britain in the Falkland War (or, as per Argentina, the Guerra de las Malvinas ), a defeat that contributed greatly to the demise of the dictatorship. This huge festival was something of a "Woodstock" for Argentina's counter-cultural youth, and was documented on a double-LP, and in a feature film by director Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera is a film director, producer and screenwriter.He works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but has contributed to numerous films in the United States.-Biography:...
, "Buenos Aires Rocks." There, Piero famously distributed 40,000 white carnations to members of the audience, purchased with his festival earnings.
Social, economic and spiritual concerns evolve in Piero's music with subsequent releases in the 1980s--"Un Hombre Comun," which contains the song "La Induacion Numero No Se Cuanto," about a campesino beleaguered by flooding; "Que Generosa Sos Mi Tierra," which includes "Guajira de la Unidad," a powerful assertion of Pan-Americanism, along with the stirring title tune; and "El Regalao," which contains "Milonga de lo Peor," along with the title tune, and the simultanously spiritual and political "Con Amor...Ojala," towards the end of which the singer enumerates a list of "hopes," among them that there cease to be children who have to sleep on the streets. His subsequent "Las Galaxias Nos Miran" includes "America es Asi, Loca y Terrible," and "El Soldado Aubert," about a casualty of the Malvinas/Falklands War, and shares several songs in common with the simultaneously-released Colombian LP "Gaviota," which additionally contains numerous re-recordings of earlier songs.
1987 saw the release of "20 Años", a greatest hits album that contained the new release, "Mis Hermanos Los de Abajo", "los de abajo" signifying "those on the bottom," or, in other words "los pobres." In 1988 he released a 3-LP compilation of from Piero/Jose's vast songbook, "Triptico," divided into three themed discs: "Testimonio," "Amor" and "Esperanza." At least one new song, "Para Ti Colombia," is included in this set, which testifies to Piero's fondness for what would become his "second home" during much of the 1990s, Colombia.
In 1989 he released the LP "A Pesar de Los Pesares," containing the haunting title song, and another children's record, "Un Cachuso Rantifuso," an "operetta" in collaboration with Juan Carlos Baglietto
Juan Carlos Baglietto
Juan Carlos Baglietto is an Argentine musician and composer. He is one of the iconic figures of the musical movement called Trova Rosarina....
and Piero's longtime comrade and colleague Marilina Ross, the film actress turned Peronista turned singer.
In the 1990s, Piero dedicated himself to social works, primarily, and lived mostly in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. He was awarded Colombian citizenship
Colombian nationality law
Colombian nationality is typically obtained by birth in Colombia, birth abroad when at least one parent was born in Colombia, or by naturalization, after five years of permanent residence and meeting specific requirements...
by Colombian president Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano is a Colombian politician. He served as the President of Colombia from August 7, 1994 to August 7, 1998, representing the Liberal Party. He was involved in the 8000 process scandal, which takes its name from the folio number assigned to it by the chief prosecutor's office...
. Piero now has three nationalities: Italian, Argentine and Colombian.
His politically progressive troubadour friends include(d) Pablo Milanes
Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés Arias is a Cuban singer-songwriter and guitar player. He studied at a conservatory in Havana. He is considered one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola...
, Mercedes Sosa
Mercedes Sosa
Haydée Mercedes Sosa, known as La Negra, was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout South America and some countries outside the continent. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of nueva canción. She gave voice to songs written by both...
, and Isabel Parra
Isabel Parra
Isabel Parra is a famous Chilean singer-songwriter and interpreter of Latin American musical folklore.Isabel Parra was born in Chile in 1939 and began her career in music at the age of 13 when she made her first recording with her world-renowned mother, the folklorist Violeta Parra...
.
He actively campaigned for Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, who won the Bolivian presidency, and they maintain the friendship. He served for years as the Subsecretary of Culture of Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
. In the 1980s, while on tour, he met guru Indra Devi
Indra Devi
Indra Devi ; May 12, 1899 - April 25, 2002) was an early disciple of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, and herself became a renowned yoga teacher. Born in Riga, she also acted in some Hindi films.-Early Years:...
, who he persuaded to move to Buenos Aires, where she initiated numerous yoga centers, and helped inspire Piero to found his Fundación Buenas Ondas (Good Vibrations Foundation), which has long been dedicated to bettering the lives of poor youths who might be described as "street kids."
In 2001, the CD "30 Años de Canciones Blindadas" contained several new songs, including the Piero/Jose composition, "El Jardin de Los Sueños." Several recent Piero songs can be heard on his website, pieroonline.com, including "Bolivia es Cómo un Barco que Sale al Mar," "Avisos Clasificados," "Amazonia," "Solo Un Gorrión," and "América." The CD re-issue of his LP from 1973, "Sinfonia Inconclusa en la Mar," was nominated for a 2011 Latin Grammy Award for Best Children's Album.
Discography
Recent Piero compilations include:- Idolos (2001)
- Los Esenciales (2004)
Piero's Complete Discography
- "PIERO" (A.K.A. "MI VIEJO") - 1969
- "PEDRO NADIE" - 1970
- "COPLAS DE MI PAÍS" - 1972
- "CANCIONERO DE LA LIBERACION" - 1973
- "PARA EL PUEBLO LO QUE ES DEL PUEBLO" - 1973
- "SINFONÍA INCONCLUSA EN LA MAR" - 1973
- "FOLKLORE A MI MANERA" - 1974
- "Y MI GENTE DONDE VA" - 1976
- "CALOR HUMANO" - 1981
- "RECUERDOS" - 1981
- "CANTO DE LA TERNURA" - 1982
- "VERSIONES ORIGINALES" - 1982
- "BAROCK" - 1983
- "UN HOMBRE COMÚN" - 1983
- "QUE GENEROSA SOS MI TIERRA" - 1984
- "PRIMERAS GRABACIONES" - 1984
- "EL REGALAO" - 1985
- "LAS GALAXIAS NOS MIRAN" - 1986
- "GAVIOTA" - 1986
- "20 AÑOS" - 1987
- TRIPTICO 1 - "COLECCION DE ORO" - 1988
- "A PESAR DE LOS PESARES" - 1989
- TRIPTICO 2 - "COLECCION DE ORO" - 1989
- "UN CACHUSO RANTIFUSO" - 1989
- "TE QUIERO CONTAR" - 1993
- "INDRA DEVI Y PIERO" - 1993
- "PIERO Y PABLO" - 1997
- "30 AÑOS DE CANCIONES BLINDADAS" - 2001
- "PARA VOS Y YO MI VIEJO" - 2002
External links
- PIERO “Los argentinos estamos blindados” De Norte A Sur, No.239, July 2001 - in Spanish
- Cinenacional.com - in Spanish
- pieroonline.com Official Website