León Gieco

**Raúl Alberto Antonio Gieco**, known as **León Gieco** (born, November 20, 1951), is an Argentine popular musician and singer.

Gieco is known for his blending of folk music with Argentine rock. Although he is most appreciated in his home country, where the content of his songs, which championed human rights, peasant and indigenous peoples' rights, support for the disabled, and solidarity with the marginalized, made him appealing to those who shared his views.

His fame extends beyond his homeland: he performs before audiences in other countries—especially in countries with large colonies of Argentine immigrants—and is often described as "the Bob Dylan of Argentina."

### Early years

Gieco was born on November 20, 1951, on a farm near Cañada Rosquín, in the center of the province of Santa Fe, to a family of Piedmontese descent. He started working at the age of 7. He bought a guitar with his own money and began playing it at school events.

He formed a folklore group, but at the same time began playing in a rock band, known as "Los Moscos", which soon gained popularity in the surrounding towns. They performed songs by The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Spencer Davis Group, when they won a competition to play on Channel 5 of Rosario (today Telefe Rosario) in 1965.

His nickname is due to an incident that occurred when he was beginning to take his first steps in music, on an occasion when they were preparing instruments for a sound check with "Los Moscos". When connecting some amplification equipment, he did it incorrectly, which damaged the equipment and burned it. When this happened, one of the members of the group rebuked him, saying, "What are you doing? This guy is the king of the beasts!" Years later, Gieco decided to adopt the nickname "León" (Lion).

When Gieco turned 18, he went to Buenos Aires to become a full-time musician. There, he took guitar lessons from Gustavo Santaolalla, who introduced him to important people in the Buenos Aires musical community, such as Raúl Porchetto, Charly García, Nito Mestre, and María Rosa Yorio, future members along with Gieco of the Argentine supergroup, "Porsuigieco".

## Discography

- _León Gieco_ (1973)
- _La Banda de los Caballos Cansados_ (1974)
- _El fantasma de Canterville_ (1976)
- _IV LP_ (1978)
- _Siete años_ (1980)
- _Pensar en nada_ (1981)
- _Corazón americano / El gran concierto_ (1985)
- _De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 1_ (1985)
- _De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 2_ (1985)
- _De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 3_ (1985)
- _Semillas del corazón_ (1989)
- _Ayer y hoy_ (1989)
- _Concierto en vivo con Pete Seeger_ (1990)
- _Mensajes del alma_ (1992)
- _Desenchufado_ (1994)
- _Orozco_ (1997)
- _En el país de la libertad_ (1999)
- _De Ushuaia a La Quiaca 4_ (1999)
- _40 obras fundamentales_ (2000)
- _Bandidos rurales_ (2001)
- _Por partida doble_ (2001)
- _El vivo de León_ (2003)
- _De Ushuaia a La Quiaca_ (re-edition) (2005)
- _Por Favor, Perdón y Gracias_ (2005)
- _El Vivo de Leon_ (2003)
- _El Desembarco_ (2011)
- _El Hombrecito del Mar_ (2022)

## Other websites

- Biography
- Mundo Alas
- Village Voice

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: León Gieco
- **image**: León Gieco, 2023.jpg
- **caption**: Gieco in 2023.
- **background**: solo_singer
- **birth name**: Raúl Alberto Antonio Gieco
- **birth place**: Cañada Rosquín, Argentina
- **genre**: Rock music, rock, rock and roll
- **occupation**: Musician, Music composer, composer, interpreter, Activism, social activist