Alberto Cortez Argentine musician, author and performer Date of Birth: 13.03.1938 Country: Spain

Biography of Alberto Cortez

Alberto Cortez, whose real name is José Alberto García Gallo, was born in 1938 in Rancul, La Pampa Province, Argentina. At the age of 6, he started attending school while also enrolling in the Alberto Williams Conservatory. By the age of 12, he was already composing his own songs, with one of his early works being the composition "Un cigarrillo, la lluvia y tú."

During his time at the Junior High School Manuel Ignacio Molina de San Rafael, Alberto continued pursuing his musical studies at the Chopin Conservatory of San Rafael. At 17 years old, he joined the Arizona Orchestra under the name Chiquito García. At 18, he became a student at the Social Sciences and Law School of Buenos Aires and continued singing at bars and studios while studying.

Soon after, Alberto became part of Mario Cardi's orchestra and later signed a contract with the San Francisco Jazz Orchestra. With this orchestra, he traveled extensively across the country, and it was during this period that he started using the pseudonym "Alberto Cortez." He recorded his first studio album in Antwerp, Belgium, when he was around 20 years old.

In 1961, the album "Welcome to the Latin Club" was recorded, followed by "Poemas y Canciones Vol. 1" in 1967, with the sequel released a year later. Over time, Alberto Cortez became one of the most popular and significant performers and songwriters in Latin America. He performed throughout Europe, Latin America, and North America, including concerts at New York's Carnegie Hall.

In 1989, he signed a contract with the recording company "Mercury Records" and released the album "Alma Fuerte." By this time, Cortez had amassed a huge fan base, and his fame was comparable to that of Luis Rojas and Juan Carlos Coronel. He married Renée Govaerts, and they currently reside in Madrid.

Throughout his nearly 40-year-long career, Alberto Cortez became the author of no less than 40 albums, with his latest release being "Gospel Is..." in 2006. It is known that his album from 2005, titled "Grandes Éxitos: Alberto Cortez," enjoyed immense popularity.