Piero De Benedictis

Piero De Benedictis (stage name Piero) (b. 1944) is an Italian-born Argentine folk singer. His most known songs include "Mi Viejo," "Juan Boliche," and "Los Americanos."

When he was three years old, De Benedictis' family moved from Italy to Argentina.

Initially De Benedictis sang songs in Italian, but after winning a festival in Spanish in 1969, he became very popular in Latin America. As years went by after his change to Spanish lyrics, touring around South America made De Benedictis aware of the political situation in the countries he visited. These experiences influenced his choice of songs during the 1970s. One of these songs, "Pasar y Pasar", contains harsh accusations against the police and politics of South America. Piero lived in Colombia in greater part of the 1990s and there he received Colombian citzenship. With that new nationality he now has three nationalities: Italian, Argentine and Colombian.

His troubadour friends included Pablo Milanes and Mercedes Sosa, who made strong political claims and accusations in their lyrics.

Discography

Piero's recent recordings include:
* "Grandes Exitos" (1990)
* "Idolos" (2001)
* "Los Esenciales" (2004)

External links

* [http://www.denorteasur.com/asp/articulo.asp?numero=239&id=629 PIERO “Los argentinos estamos blindados”] De Norte A Sur, No.239, July 2001 - in Spanish
* [http://www.cinenacional.com/personas/index.php?persona=9080 Cinenacional.com] - in Spanish