Abel Córdoba

Abel Córdoba, born Abelardo González on 19 July 1941 in the Caballito neighborhood of Buenos Aires, moved with his family to San Francisco in the province of Córdoba while still an infant. He grew up hearing Gardel tangos sung by his father and the bandoneon of a cousin, and he listened regularly to the Glostora Tango Club on the radio. At sixteen, when Alfredo De Angelis’s orchestra visited San Francisco, he was heard by Oscar Larroca and Carlos Dante, who encouraged him to sing on stage. In Córdoba he studied vocal technique with a baritone who had worked at the Teatro Colón, yet he chose tango over opera. ^[9][10]

After early professional work with the Orquesta Juventud Triunfadora and other groups in Córdoba, he formed his own aggregation and later tried his luck in Buenos Aires. Unsuccessful there, he returned to San Francisco around the age of twenty and performed in towns between Rosario and Santa Fe. While singing at the Confitería Oriental he was heard by El Negro Mela, agent for Osvaldo Pugliese. After preliminary auditions in Rosario he was summoned to Buenos Aires, where he competed against more than three hundred candidates. The orchestra’s musicians—Osvaldo Ruggiero, Julián Plaza, Emilio Balcarce, Arturo Penón, Víctor Lavallén and others—selected him. He debuted with Pugliese on 10 October 1964 under the stage name Abel Córdoba, sharing the vocal role with Jorge Maciel and Alfredo Belusi. ^[9][11]

His first major tour, to Japan, was originally planned for three months but extended to six and comprised more than ninety concerts. Subsequent tours took the orchestra to France, Holland, Belgium, Finland, Spain, Portugal, the United States (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco) and most of Latin America. In Ecuador he sang for Prince Rainier and Princesses Caroline and Stephanie of Monaco. He also appeared twice at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. In 1968 Jorge Maciel and six musicians left to form Sexteto Tango; Córdoba remained and became the orchestra’s sole male singer until Adrián Guida joined in 1981. After Guida’s death in 1994 he was again the only vocalist until Pugliese’s death on 25 July 1995, completing a continuous association of thirty-one years—the longest of any male singer with the orchestra. ^[9][12]

Because recording companies showed limited interest in tango after the 1960s, Córdoba’s discography with Pugliese comprises roughly sixty titles, mixing traditional repertoire with contemporary works. Notable recordings include «Enamorado estoy», «Canción de rango», «Manón», and later «Milonga para Gardel» (with Adrián Guida) and «Por unos ojos negros». On 26 June 1989 he recorded «La canción de Buenos Aires» and «Milonga para Gardel» with Pugliese for Odeon. In August 1999 he recorded «Sueño querido» and «Noches de luna» with Orquesta Color Tango; subsequent sessions with Fernando Romano included «Los mareados», «Uno», «Buenos Aires» and «Nostalgias». After 1995 he continued as a soloist, touring Europe and the Americas and appearing with various orchestras. ^[9][13][14]

Sources describe his voice as a nuanced baritone of wide range whose style was well matched to the dramatic intensity of the Pugliese orchestra. His long tenure bridged the orchestra’s classic period and its later international tours, and he remains one of the few singers who can be heard on both the 1960s Philips recordings and the live Teatro Colón concert of 26 December 1985. ^[9][15]

Born Abelardo González in Buenos Aires on 19 July 1941, Córdoba was taken as an infant to San Francisco, Córdoba, where he absorbed tango from family singing and radio. Encouraged at sixteen by Larroca and Dante during a De Angelis visit, he studied voice in Córdoba but committed to tango. After local orchestras and an unsuccessful period in Buenos Aires he returned to the interior, where Pugliese’s agent heard him. He won the 1964 audition against hundreds of candidates and was chosen by the orchestra’s principal musicians. ^[9][10]

Debuting on 10 October 1964, Córdoba shared the stage first with Maciel and Belusi. The long Japan tour of 1965 established him internationally. When Maciel and six musicians left in 1968 he stayed, becoming the sole male singer until Guida’s arrival in 1981 and again after Guida’s death in 1994. The association lasted until Pugliese’s death in 1995. Tours covered three continents; he sang at the Teatro Colón and for members of the Monaco royal family. Recording activity was limited by industry indifference, yet approximately sixty titles were issued. ^[9][12][16]

After 1995 Córdoba performed as a soloist in Europe and the Americas and collaborated with Color Tango, recording «Sueño querido» and «Noches de luna» in August 1999. Further sessions with Fernando Romano followed. He continues to appear with orchestras and in theaters in Buenos Aires and the provinces. ^[9][13]