The popular Salta folk troubadour Daniel Toro (82), author of numerous and recognized songs, among which stands out his maximum work "Zamba para olvidarte", died this Thursday in a Salta hospital, where he was hospitalized since April 28 with a picture of pneumonia that could not be cured.
Family sources confided that the poor state of health that afflicted the musician years ago precipitated in this last hospitalization.
Born on January 3, 1941 in Salta, Toro signed more than a thousand works, among which are true classics of the Argentine and Latin American songbook that were able to address both love and social issues.
The artist created romantic hymns such as "Para ir a buscarte" (with Ariel Petrocelli), "Mi mariposa triste" and the aforementioned and versionadísima "Zamba para olvidarte", but also gave an attractive pulse to the testimonial theme of pieces, among which stand out "Cuando tenga la tierra" (also with Petrocelli), "Este Cristo americano" and "El antigal" (with Lito Nieva and Petrocelli).
The work was created in a relatively short time, since Toro was one of the voices that the last military dictatorship wanted to silence through censorship and then had to resort to the pseudonym of Casimiro Cobos.
However, and in the midst of that political trance, the musician suffered from throat cancer that made him lose his voice and took him away from the stage.
"Some artists remain in the collective memory just for one song. In the case of Daniel he is well known for 'Zamba para olvidarte' but we must add that he is Indian and that he was on stage less than 10 years having to retire with songs banned in the dictatorship and a cancer in the throat. author of the documentary "El Nombrador" (2021) that dimensioned Toro's life and work.
The musical path of Salta began in 1959 integrating several local groups such as Los Tabacaleros, Los Forasteros, Los Viñateros and Los Nombradores.
Only towards 1966 he began his solo career and a year later at the National Folklore Festival of Cosquín he received the Consecration Award.
Since then and in the following years, the artist published albums of enormous success among which were "El nombrador", "Canciones para mi tierra", "Canciones para mi pueblo", "Un año de amor", "Rondas de amor", "Cuando tenga la tierra", "Retorno al folclore", "Refranero de mi pueblo", "Sueño de trovador", "El Cristo americano", "Zamba para olvidarte", "Deceived" and "Write me a letter."
Part of that legacy somewhat blurred due to the passage of time and the long absence of the stages, however, was rescued by the film of the producer El Jume where eloquent references contributed by current colleagues such as Teresa Parodi, Víctor Heredia, Nadia Larcher, Abel Pintos, Los Carabajal, Mariana Carrizo and Franco Ramírez appear.
To this renowned gallery are also added musicians of other genres such as Ricardo Mollo, Miguel Abuelo (thanks to unpublished material from the Miguel Abuelo Foundation) and Diego Torres.
Ricardo Mollo, who in the film sings a version of "Cuando tenga la tierra" accompanied in hype by Agustín Carabajal and Nadia Larcher in a recitation, then told Télam: "I am grateful for this challenge that brings me together with songs that accompany me all my life."
In a brief communication, the leader of the rock trio Divididos stressed that Toro boasts "a work and a career that shows him as a great composer and a valuable thinker for this music of ours."
At that time and on the verge of turning 80, Daniel himself told this agency that "I have the joy of having tried to leave something that has a positive value in the cultural and not do anything."
"I am convinced that I have been protected by God, who sent me to Earth to fulfill this mission of making so many songs, and I was able to do it and I did not live just because," he added in a conversation with his daughter Daniela to which Telam agreed.
Then and in relation to his years of massive success, Toro reflected: "When I was number one I learned that it does not help to be number one, because you get close to many people who believe that the thing is very easy."
With information from Télam
.DB
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