Antonio Maida

Antonio Maida was born on 15 July 1913 in the Balvanera neighborhood of Buenos Aires, near the Mercado Spinetto, the son of Nicolás Maida and María Rosa Sorrentino. His older brother Roberto Maida became one of the principal vocalists of Francisco Canaro’s orchestra. At about sixteen he made his debut with a juvenile orchestra at the Café Germinal, then sang with the group of Juan Maglio (Pacho). In 1931 he appeared on Radio Cultura accompanied by a small ensemble led by the young pianist Orlando Goñi.^[1][2]

In early 1934 Edgardo Donato engaged him to replace vocalist Félix Gutiérrez. On 9 January of that year he made his first recording for RCA Victor, the tango “Esto es el colmo” by Vicente Vilardi, Alberto Maraviglia and Leopoldo Amoroso. Donato’s orchestra at the time incorporated rancheras, pasodobles and foxtrots alongside tangos. Between 1934 and 1935 Maida recorded approximately twenty-four titles with the ensemble. These included the pasodobles “Sandía calada” and “Noches sevillanas,” the rancheras “Abandonada,” “De ande yerba,” “Ensalada mixta” and “Pa’ semejante candil,” and, in duet with violinist Armando Julio Piovani (recording as Randona), the tangos “Quién más, quién menos,” “Riachuelo” and “Ruego.” Popular numbers of the period were “El huracán,” “Berretín” and the milonga “Corrales viejos.” In 1935 Hugo del Carril joined as second vocalist. Maida left Donato at the end of that year.^[1][3]

From 1936 he worked as a soloist, primarily on Radio Belgrano and in various venues, accompanied by guitar groups that frequently included Pascual Avena, Enrique Toto and Alberto Adolfo. He premiered “Media noche,” a tango by Aníbal Troilo with lyrics by Héctor Gagliardi, and added the vals-tango “Claro de luna” by the same authors to his repertoire. In the early 1940s the rise of large orchestras reduced opportunities for solo singers. In 1944 Ricardo Malerba contracted him; with that orchestra he re-recorded “Media noche” on 8 September 1944 for Odeón. The version became widely known and prompted other ensembles, including Osvaldo Pugliese’s with Alberto Morán, to include the piece. Additional recordings with Malerba included “Encuentro,” “Una copa más,” “Pasado florido” and “Siglo veinte.” He parted from Malerba in late 1946 and returned to solo work on Radio Belgrano with guitarists Antonio Ciaccio, Héctor Davis and Ubaldo De Lío. He also appeared at Corrientes Avenue venues such as the Tango Bar, Café El Nacional, La Armonía, Maipú Pigall and Marabú.^[1][2][4]

Maida appeared in two films: Joven, viuda y estanciera (1941, directed by Luis Bayón Herrera) and La Rubia Mireya (1948, directed by Manuel Romero), in the latter singing “Tiempos viejos.” Before retiring from regular performance he took part in a radio cycle on Radio Belgrano with his friend Roberto Flores (El Chato) and the singer Rosita Lavalle. From 1958 he served as artistic advisor to LS6 Radio del Pueblo and in February 1959 became its general director. During his tenure the station devoted substantial airtime to tango: soloists, small groups and orchestras filled weekday schedules, while weekend programs featured artists such as Carlos Fontán, Alberto Marino, Edmundo Rivero, Julio Sosa, Roberto Rufino and Aníbal Troilo’s quartet with Roberto Grela, Edmundo P. Zaldívar and Rafael del Bagno. Contemporaries noted that his office remained open to musicians of popular music.^[1][2][5]

On 3 May 1963 Maida, together with Atilio Stampone, Reynaldo Martino and Vicente Fiaschi, opened the venue Caño 14 at 952 Uruguay Street (later relocated to Talcahuano 975). It became one of the principal tango venues of the decade, presenting Troilo’s quartet, Edmundo Rivero, Roberto Rufino, Enrique Mario Francini, Héctor Stamponi, Leopoldo Federico, Roberto Grela and Roberto Goyeneche among many others. Some secondary accounts place the opening slightly earlier or later, but the principal biographical sources agree on the 3 May 1963 date and on Maida’s role as co-founder. Maida died in Buenos Aires on 23 August 1984 at the age of seventy-one. He is remembered both for the clarity and sincerity of his singing with Donato and Malerba and for his later contributions to the institutional life of tango through radio and the Caño 14 venue.^[1][2][6]

Early career and years with Edgardo Donato

After youthful appearances at the Café Germinal and with Juan Maglio, Maida’s first major engagement came with Donato in 1934. The twenty-four recordings of 1934–1935 demonstrate the orchestra’s mixed repertoire and include several duets with Randona. The period also introduced him to radio audiences via the Victor discs. Hugo del Carril’s arrival in 1935 marked the final year of Maida’s tenure with the group.^[1][3]

Solo work, Malerba and “Media noche”

The 1936 premiere of “Media noche” established a signature piece that Maida re-recorded with Malerba in 1944. The later version helped popularize a tango that Troilo himself had not recorded. Other Malerba sides such as “Encuentro” and “Siglo veinte” further documented his mature vocal style before he returned to solo radio work in late 1946.^[1][4]

Radio direction and Caño 14

As artistic advisor from 1958 and general director of Radio del Pueblo from 1959, Maida oversaw one of the periods of strongest tango programming on Argentine airwaves. The 1963 co-founding of Caño 14 provided a lasting physical venue for the same artists he had supported on radio. The combination of administrative and entrepreneurial activity extended his influence beyond performance.^[2][5][6]