Collecting Gardel

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: trajeser.com

Carlos Gardel is a legend from the past, almost unknown to the younger generations. As South America's undisputed #1 crooner & singer in the 30's, his presence drove crowds of fans insane with frenzy and admiration in every social circle, rich or poor. Throughout his life, "el morocho del abasto" (an affectionate fan name meaning 'kid from the market') represented dreams of success, romance, national pride, nostalgia - Tango, in one word. Suddenly, immortality came to him in the flash of an airplane crash, having reached the peak of his fame. And thus he joined the club of those rising stars who left the party too soon: Valentino, Carol Lombard, Glenn Miller, James Dean, Buddy Holly...

Today, collecting Gardel memorabilia has become one of those dedicated hobbies to which many surrender their passion in private; in a way, rather secretly. For a better understanding of this section of the Gardelian underworld, try looking at this page in Gardelweb's website.

In Wikipedia's words, "Gardel is still revered in Buenos Aires, where people like to say of him "he sings better and better every day." Courtesy of todotango.com, listen to a sample of his famous voice in Gardel's 'Margot'.