Piero

Latin singer/songwriter Piero de Benedictis entered the world in Italy during April 1944 and first appeared on stages in the mid-'60s by delivering Italian-language material across Argentina. Following victory at a regional festival in 1969 with the Spanish-language song “Como Somos,” he captured his debut album. Political upheaval in the region forced him into exile in 1976, during which time he resided successively in Panama, Italy, and Spain. His return to Argentina was marked in 1981 by the concert La Gran Vuelta de Piero (The Great Piero's Return), whose performances were captured for the double album Calor Humano. In 1985 he commenced extensive tours throughout Latin America in the company of musician José Toherkaski. Shortly thereafter, an ancillary initiative supporting adolescents from modest households grew into his central focus. In 1995 he assembled a benefit recording intended to advance Unicef’s efforts on behalf of children’s rights, enlisting contributions from David Gilmour, Joaquín Sabina, Annie Lennox, and León Gieco; the project ultimately surfaced in 2001 as Canciones Blindadas, a collection that mingled earlier material with previously unheard tracks.