Lucho Gatica

• Genre: Latin
• Hometown: Santiago

About

Chile's premier bolero singer, Lucho Gatica saw his share of heartbreak before he became a beloved international icon. Orphaned when he was just three years old, Gatica and his seven siblings endured many privations through the years, but that didn't deter him from his dreams. Both he and brother Arturo longed to sing, and Gatica finally gave up his studies as a dental technician to pursue a career in music. The gamble paid off: after a few lucky breaks, Gatica recorded some 50 albums in his home country between 1951 and 1960. The singer was instrumental in overturning tango as Chile's national music and disseminating the slower, more romantic bolero across the continent. He then moved on to Mexico, where he cemented his status as one of bolero's classic singers while also marrying and having two children.

- Sarah Bardeen