page_title: Fito Páez
section_title: Early career
hierarchical_section_title: Fito Páez / Biography / Early career
caption_attribution_description: Español: Fito Paez a inicios de los '80
context_page_description: Rodolfo Páez Ávalos, popularly known as Fito Páez, is an Argentine popular rock and roll pianist, lyricist, singer-songwriter and film director.
context_section_description: Paez was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province; his real name is Rodolfo Paez, like his father. When he was a child people called him "Rodolfito" (in Spanish, an affectionate form of "Rodolfo") to distinguish him from his father. With the passage of time, this nickname became just "Fito", and that is where his stage name came from.
  He formed Staff, his first band when he was 13. In 1977, he played in El Banquete with Rubén Goldín and Jorge Llonch. He began to perform solo in pubs the following year.
  Straight out of high school, he began touring with several bands and soon after that produced his first solo album, Del '63, which was released in 1984. It was promoted first in his home town, but later earned attention in Buenos Aires. The recording was put together with the help of some of Argentina's most prominent musicians, including Daniel Wirtz, Fabián Gallardo, Tweety González and Paul Dourge.
  The disc won him critical acclaim as a songwriter and helped lead to future projects, including a 1985 album, Giros. The demo of that album earned him the praise of Luis Alberto Spinetta, as well as a partnership – Paez's next album, 1986's La La La was a duet with Spinetta. The duo supported that album with a tour that reached all the way to Santiago, Chile. The same year, he participated in the Thousand Days of Democracy festival.
  His 1987 recording, Ciudad de Pobres Corazones, marked a dark, political turn for his work. It was dedicated to the memory of his aunt and grandmother, who were assassinated in Rosario. Páez got his first taste of production work with Ey!, which was released in 1988. Recorded in New York City and Havana, it also showcased many musicians with whom he had worked previously.
caption: Fito Páez in the early 80's
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image ExifOffset": "70", "Image DateTime": "2015:11:22 01:13:19"}