Carlos Gardel

Carlos Gardel was aware that his tremendous popularity and success was due to his sex appeal. In order to maintain his attractiveness to his women fans, he tried to keep his personal life guarded.

He was once in a long-term relationship with Isabel del Valle. The couple eventually drifted apart and Isabel later married another man.

He died in an airplane crash in Columbia on 24 June 1935 along with his entourage. His collaborator Alfredo Le Pera, guitarists Guillermo Desiderio Barbieri and Ángel Domingo Riverol, and several others also died in the crash.

He was born as Charles Romuald Gardes on 11 December 1890 in Toulouse, France to an unmarried mother Berthe Gardes, and his birth certificate listed the father as “unknown”. His biological father is believed to have been Paul Laserre, a married man.

His mother moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Charles in 1893. The boy started using “Carlos”, the Spanish version of his French name.

The mother-son duo lived in poverty as Berthe struggled to eke out living by pressing clothes in the French style. Carlos attended Pio IX Industrial high school.

Always interested in music, he dropped out of school as a teenager to seek out his fortunes as a singer. Fortunately he found a mentor in José Betinotti, a folk song expert.

Carlos Gardel began his singing career performing at cafes, clubs, and parties. He had begun to gain popularity as a folk singer by 1910 and was now offered gigs in many big restaurants and cafes including the popular O’Rondemann café.

He collaborated with José Razzano and singer Francisco Martino in 1911 and toured all over Argentina, performing in clubs and gatherings. Martino left the group after some time but Gardel and Razzano continued touring and performing.

He received a big breakthrough in 1917 when he teamed up with Pascual Contursi to write what would become his most famous tango song ever ‘Mi Noche Triste’ (My Sad Night). The song became a favorite in clubs and was soon released on record as well.

The recording proved to be a tremendous hit and sold 10,000 copies. The resounding success of his first tango motivated Gardel to focus more on this genre. Along with Razzano he went on extensive tours through Argentina which added to his growing fame.

His rising stature as a singer and composer prompted him to tour other countries as well and he travelled through Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. He also performed in Paris, New York, Barcelona and Madrid. His world tours are credited to have made tango internationally popular.

The first tango Carlos Gardel recorded, ‘Mi noche triste’ is undoubtedly his best known work. It revolutionized the genre as it was the first time a tango had lyrics to be sung with it, and is credited to have introduced the concept of sentimental tango.