Rodolfo Páez, popularly known as Fito Páez (; born 13 March 1963), is an
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
musician and filmmaker. He was member of the "Trova Rosarina" and is known as "The Troubadour of Argentine Rock", and is considered an important figure in Argentinian rock music.
Biography
Early career

Paez was born in
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
,
Santa Fe; his real name is Rodolfo Paez, like his father. When he was a child, people called him "Rodolfito" (in Spanish, the diminutive of masculine names is formed by adding "ito") to distinguish him from Rodolfo, his father. With time, Rodolfito became just "Fito," and that is where his stage name came from.
He formed Staff, his first band, when he was 13. In 1977, he played in El Banquete with Rubén Goldín and Jorge Llonch. He began to perform solo in pubs the following year.
Straight out of high school, he began touring with several bands and, soon after that, produced his first solo album, ''Del '63'', which was released in 1984. It was promoted first in his hometown but later earned attention in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. The recording was put together with the help of some of Argentina's most prominent musicians, including Daniel Wirtz, Fabián Gallardo,
Tweety González and Paul Dourge.
The record won him critical acclaim as a songwriter and helped lead to future projects, including a 1985 album, ''Giros''. The demo of that album earned him the praise of
Luis Alberto Spinetta, as well as a partnership – Paez's next album, 1986's ''La La La'' was a duet with Spinetta. The duo supported that album with a tour that reached all the way to
Santiago, Chile
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
. The same year, he participated in the Thousand Days of Democracy festival.
His 1987 recording, ''Ciudad de Pobres Corazones,'' marked a dark, political turn for his work. It was dedicated to the memory of his aunt and grandmother, who were murdered in Rosario. Páez got his first taste of production work with ''Ey!'', which was released in 1988. Recorded in New York City and
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...](_bl ...<br></span></div>, it also showcased many musicians with whom he had worked previously.
<h2><br><p> 1990–present</h2></p>
''Tercer Mundo,'' released in 1990, explored Latin American cultural influences and the harsh world of poverty and exploitation. It, too, was critically acclaimed, but it was Páez's 1992 album, ''El Amor Después del Amor'' which marked the pinnacle of his commercial success. The album sold more than 750,000 copies, and when Páez toured to support it, he found himself playing sold-out shows for 40,000 people. Shortly after this album's release, he played a benefit concert for <div class=)
, which raised more than $420,000.
In 1990, Páez worked as a producer in
Sandra Mihanovich
Sandra Mihanovich (born April 24, 1957) is an Argentina, Argentine singer, musician, and composer of Rock (music), rock, blues, and Tango music, tango rhythms.
Biography
She was born in the Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Recoleta neighbourhood of Bueno ...
and
Celeste Carballo's album ''
Mujer contra mujer''.
The follow-up, ''Circo Beat,'' had impossibly high expectations. Though it had several hit songs, including "Mariposa Technicolor" and "Tema de Piluso," as well as a companion album, ''Circo Beat Brazil'', which featured Brazilian remixes of its hits, it only sold around 350,000 copies. Several other projects were completed in the late '90s, including a live album, ''Euforia'' and 1998's ''Sabina & Páez: Enemigos Intimos'', with
Joaquín Sabina
Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina (born 12 February 1949) is a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and poet. His songs usually treat love, heartbreaks and society with significant use of literary figures as in the baroque-literature style.
He ha ...
. The year 1999 brought another balanced, superbly produced album, ''
Abre''. He also took home two Grammys at the first annual
Latin Grammy Award
The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...
s in fall 2000. He lived with Argentine actress
Cecilia Roth
Cecilia Edith Rotenberg Gutkin (born 8 August 1956), known professionally as Cecilia Roth () is an Argentine actress. She is the winner of two Goya Awards and a European Film Award. She is known for being an " Almodóvar girl" and the "muse" ...
for some years; the couple adopted a child in 1999.
Páez's 2003 album ''Naturaleza sangre'' marked a return to his musical past, featuring appearances from
Charly García
Carlos Alberto García Moreno (born October 23, 1951), better known by his stage name Charly García, is an Argentine singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer, considered one of the most important rock musicians in ...
,
Luis Alberto Spinetta and Brazilian artist
Rita Lee on the previously unreleased version of "Ojos Rojos." In 2006, Páez was given an ''
escopetarra'' (a decommissioned
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...
converted into a guitar) by Colombian musician and peace activist
César López in honor of his music.
The album ''El mundo cabe en una canción'' won the
Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Solo Vocal Album at the
Latin Grammy Awards of 2007. In 2008 Páez recorded, ''No se si es Baires o Madrid'', in Madrid, Spain. He invited several important musicians such as Pablo Milanés, Joaquín Sabina, and Ariel Rot to participate. In 2010, he released the album ''Confiá..'' In December 2011; he recorded a new album with songs by other artists performed by Páez himself in a release called ''Canciones para áliens.'' This album was presented at la Sala Nezahualcoyolt de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. In January 2012, these "songs for the aliens" were transmitted to space via electromagnetic waves through the Music to Space project.
[ :es:Canciones para aliens] In 2021, Páez was presented with the
Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend performers "who have made contributions of outstanding artistic ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
*''Del 63'' (1984)
*''Giros'' (1985)
*''La la la'' (1986)
(with Luis Alberto Spinetta)
*''Ciudad de pobres corazones'' (1987)
*''Ey!'' (1988)
*''
Tercer mundo'' (1990)
*''
El Amor Después del Amor'' (1992)
*''
Circo Beat'' (1994)
*''Enemigos íntimos'' (1998)
(with Joaquín Sabina
Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina (born 12 February 1949) is a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and poet. His songs usually treat love, heartbreaks and society with significant use of literary figures as in the baroque-literature style.
He ha ...
)
*''
Abre'' (1999)
*''Rey Sol'' (2000)
*''Naturaleza sangre'' (2003)
*''Moda y pueblo'' (2005)
*''
El Mundo Cabe en Una Canción'' (2006)
*''
Rodolfo'' (2007)
*''Confiá'' (2010)
*''Canciones para Aliens'' (2011)
*''El Sacrificio'' (2013)
*''Dreaming Rosario'' (2013)
*''Yo Te Amo'' (2013)
*''Rock and Roll Revolution – RRR'' (2014)
*''Locura total'' (2015)
(with Paulinho Moska)
*''La ciudad liberada'' (2017)
*''
La Conquista del Espacio'' (2020)
*''
Los Años Salvajes'' (2021)
*''Futurología Arlt'' (2022)
*''The Golden Light'' (2022)
*''EADDA9223'' (2023)
*''Novela'' (2025)
Live albums
*''Euforia'' (1996)
*''Mi vida con ellas'' (2004)
*''
No sé si es Baires o Madrid'' (2008)
*''El amor después del amor 20 años'' (2012)
Compilation albums
* ''Grandes éxitos'' (1990)
* ''Crónica'' (1991)
* ''Lo mejor de Fito Páez'' (1993)
* ''Lo mejor de los mejores – Volume 1 and 2'' (1995/1996)
* ''Lo duro/Lo suave de Fito Páez'' (1996)
* ''Colección aniversario'' (1999)
* ''Fue amor'' (2000)
* ''
Antología'' (2002)
* ''Serie de oro: grandes éxitos'' (2002)
* ''Músicos, poetas y locos'' (2003)
* ''Super 6'' (2003)
* ''Gran reserva'' (2005)
* ''Grandes canciones'' (2008)
Tributes
* ''Homenaje a Fito Páez'' (2006)
Filmography
*''
Vidas privadas'' ("Private Lives") (2001)
*''¿De quién es el portaligas?'' (2007) ("Whose is the garter belt?")
*''
Women on the Edge'' (2023) as Director
In fiction
* Páez is portrayed by several actors in the TV series ''
El amor después del amor''.
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
Further reading
*Horacio Vargas: Fito Páez – La biografía – La vida después de la vida. Homosapiens, Buenos Aires 1994; .
External links
*
*
*
Fito Páez Biography (1/5) YouTube.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paez, Fito
1963 births
Musicians from Rosario, Santa Fe
Living people
20th-century Argentine male singers
Argentine people of Spanish descent
Latin Grammy Award winners
Singers from Rosario, Santa Fe
Rock en español musicians
Sony Music Latin artists
Latin music songwriters
Rock songwriters
Argentine male pianists
21st-century Argentine pianists
21st-century Argentine male singers
Argentine male singer-songwriters
Argentine singer-songwriters
Grammy Award winners
Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners