Roberto Parra Sandoval (June 29, 1921 – April 21, 1995), also known in Spanish as El tío Roberto (Uncle Roberto), was a Chilean singer-songwriter, guitarist and folklorist, member of the Parra family, many of whose members are famous artists. He died in Santiago at age 73.
Roberto Parra Sandoval | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 29, 1921 |
| Died | April 21, 1995 (aged 73) |
| Genres | Folk |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Biography
Early times
Born in Santiago, Chile as the son of Clarisa Sandoval Navarrete and Nicanor Parra Parra, uncle Roberto was the fifth son in the Parra Sandoval family, after siblings Nicanor, Hilda, Violeta and Eduardo, and born before Caupolicán, Elba, Lautaro and Óscar. His first steps in music were precipitated by the early death of his father. With his siblings Violeta, Eduardo and Hilda, he started to sing in the streets of the small towns and villages around Chillán and Parral.
In 1935, when he was fourteen years old, Roberto started to work as a guitar player in several circuses, and cabarets, first in southern Chile. Until the late 1950s, he worked traveling north and south, becoming very popular, along with his brother Eduardo, with whom he formed the Dúo de los Hermanos Parra (Parra Brothers Duet) in 1938. He sporadically worked in several other jobs: on Valparaíso's dry-docks, as a paperboy, shoeshiner, welder, mechanic helper, carpenter, and the owner of a furniture shop, among others.
La Negra Ester
In September 1957, he arrived for the first time in the Chilean port of San Antonio, where he was hired to sing with the orchestra of the cabaret Luces del Puerto. In the boite Río de Janeiro, he met La Negra Ester, a prostitute and performer of the boite. They started a sentimental relationship that was immortalized in his book Décimas de la Negra Ester, a poetry book written in décimas. Andrés Pérez Araya, director of the theater company Gran Circo Teatro, later adapted La Negra Ester for the stage; the stage adaptation became a milestone in Chilean theater.[1]
Discography
- 1965: 20 cuecas con salsa verde (credited to the "Trio Los Parra")
- 1966: Carpa de La Reina (with various artists)
- 1967: Las cuecas de Roberto Parra (re-released as CD in 1995)
- 1972: Las cuecas del Tío Roberto (with Ángel Parra)
- 1990: El jazz guachaca (with several artists)
- 1990: Los tiempos de La Negra Ester
- 1998: Peineta (with Los Tres and Lalo Parra)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Esto es jazz huachaca[2] | — | Guieseppe Brucculeri | Composer |
| 1996 | Prontuario de Roberto Parra[3] | — | Hermann Mondaca Ximena Arrieta |
|
| 1999 | El desquite[4] | — | Andrés Wood | Film based on the play by Roberto Parra |
References
- ^ Andrés Pérez Araya, un grande del teatro (obituary)(in Spanish); see also Spanish-language entry on La Negra Ester
- ^ "Esto es jazz huachaca". Cinechile (in Spanish). Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "Prontuario de Roberto Parra". Cinechile (in Spanish). Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "El desquite". Cinechile (in Spanish). Retrieved September 23, 2021.
External links
- Las décimas de la Negra Ester (in Spanish)