Los Iracundos

In the early 1960s a cluster of eager Uruguayan high-school pupils, stirred by Teen Tops and urged on by their music instructor, formed a rock combo that first performed under the moniker los Blue Kings. Their initial public outing took place on the radio broadcast Discodromo. After appearing at the Festival held in Parque del Plata, the newcomers drew the interest of RCA scouts based in Argentina, who promptly offered a contract. Just before their debut album appeared, the group altered its name to los Iracundos, a reference to a postwar European artistic current. They established residence in Buenos Aires and began crisscrossing Argentina on tour. The resulting popularity earned them a part in the 1965 motion picture Una Ventana Al Exito, during which they delivered the song “Nena Para Ti.” Two years afterward the musicians headed to Europe, playing engagements in France and Spain before reaching Italy to cut a new record. Once back in Argentina they traveled onward to the United States, where they performed at New York’s Madison Square Garden. By then their single “Puerto Montt” occupied the summit of major Latin American charts. That string of successes was underscored by the release of the film Este Loco Verano. In the years that followed, los Iracundos continued to record, yet new chart entries proved elusive and the band often revisited its established repertoire. The passing of lead singer Eduardo Franco in February 1989 left the ensemble’s future in question. Nevertheless the remaining members resolved to carry on. Throughout the 1990s vocalist Jorge Gatto, guitarist Carlos Piñeyro, and keyboardist Danilo Amico entered the lineup.