Andrés Lapique do Barro, known as Andres do Barro (1 October 1947 – 22 December 1989), was a Spanish singer-songwriter in the Galician language. He is the only singer who has reached number 1 in Spain with a song written in Galician.

Biography

Andrés do Barro was born in

Ferrol Ferrol may refer to: Places * Ferrol (comarca), a coastal region in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain * Ferrol, Spain, industrial city and naval station in Galicia, Spain ** Racing de Ferrol, an association football club * Ferrol, Romblon, municipality in ...

La Coruña LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

, into a family linked to the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

, but he chose to devote himself to music. He was the son of a colonel in the Quartermaster's Office of the Navy and studied in the Merchant Navy, which he did not finish. He composed by ear, with his guitar. He was enthusiastic in his desire to tell simple stories of his land. At the time, in the midst of

Franco's dictatorship Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spani ...

, he was supported by Pilar Franco, the dictator's sister, and Juan Pardo, his producer, which explains why he was allowed to sing in Galician. He was one of the first singers to use Galician as a means of expression during the Franco regime. He is the author of hits such as "O tren" (

Camilo Sesto Camilo Blanes Cortés (16 September 1946 – 8 September 2019), known professionally as Camilo Sesto "El Rey del Amor", was a Spanish singer, songwriter and music producer. There are various sales figures for him, ranging from 70 to 200 million ...

participated in the choirs) or "Corpiño xeitoso". This last song, published in 1970 and sung in the Galician language, reached number one on the Spanish charts. Until now, no one has managed to do so in an official language other than Spanish. He starred -together with

Concha Velasco Concepción Velasco Varona OAXS MML (born 29 November 1939), known professionally as Concha Velasco, or Conchita Velasco in her beginnings, is a Spanish actress, singer and television presenter. She has received numerous accolades throughou ...

and under the orders of

Mariano Ozores Mariano Ozores Puchol (born 5 October 1926) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He was a prolific specialist in the sex comedy and Francoist comedy. He is the brother of Jose Luis Ozores (1923–1968) and Antonio Ozores (1928–2010) ...

- in the film ''En la red de mi canción'', shot in Spanish, and his voice was replaced by that of a professional dubbing actor; his songs, however, were played in their original Galician version. He went on to perform in Mexico and Brazil. After his initial successes, he was unable to sustain himself and emigrated to Mexico in 1976. After his return he also failed to make a name for himself in the Spanish music world. He died of liver cancer at the age of 42 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. In 2015 Fernando Fernández Rego published a biography of the Ferrol-born musician ''Saudade. Andrés do Barro: El músico que llevó el pop gallego al número uno de ventas'' (Saudade. Andrés do Barro: The musician who brought Galician pop to number one on ventas), with the collaboration of the musician's family.

Discography

* ''Me llamo Andrés Lapique do Barro'' (LP 1970) * ''¡Pum!'' (LP 1971) * ''Andrés Do Barro'' (LP 1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barro, Andres do Spanish male singer-songwriters Spanish singer-songwriters Singers from Galicia (Spain) People from Ferrol, Spain 1947 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Spanish male singers 20th-century Spanish singers