Rodrigo (musician)

Rodrigo as a child circa 1979–80

Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno was born on May 24, 1973, in Córdoba, Argentina as the first of three brothers. His father, Eduardo Alberto Bueno, was a record store owner and music producer for Columbia Records[3] as well as BMG, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.[4] His mother, Beatriz Olave, was a newsstand owner and songwriter.[5][6] Growing up, Bueno was influenced by the cuarteto scene. He made his first television appearance at the age of two on the show Fiesta del Cuarteto; he appeared with an acquaintance of the family, Juan Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez.[7] Jiménez would later become his main musical influence, along with the bands Cuarteto de Oro, Berna and La Leo. During family meetings, Bueno would sing their songs for his relatives into a wooden microphone, a gift from his carpenter uncle.

At the age of five, with the help of his father, he recorded his first album, Disco Baby. One of the songs from the set, a cover of a María Elena Walsh song, was used as the opening theme of the children's show Carozo y Narizota, broadcast on El Trece (Channel 13) in Argentina.[6][8]

Growing up, Bueno worked as a paperboy at the newsstand of his grandmother, Hortensia.[5] In 1984, he attended concerts of the local band Chébere and was occasionally invited to join them on stage. The next year, he dropped out of school and started working at his father's record shop, where he sometimes sang for the customers. A friend of his father belonged to the local band Manto Negro and offered Rodrigo a spot in the band. This is where he formally started his career in music, signing his first contract and earning his first salary as a musician at age thirteen.[3][9] Bueno had written songs since the age of ten, but he would not show them to his colleagues because of his grammar mistakes.[9]

As Rodrigo failed to achieve success in Córdoba after five years with Manto Negro, his father and manager Eduardo decided to launch Rodrigo's career as a soloist in Buenos Aires. In 1990, he published his debut album, La Foto de tu Cuerpo, through Polygram Records.[8][9] Although he described himself as a "cuarteto fan", his first album had a rock style.[10] In 1991, he published his next album, Aprendiendo a Vivir, which he promoted with his first appearance in Buenos Aires at the nightclub Fantástico Bailable. The success of his performance propelled the sales of the record and gained Bueno the acknowledgement of the tropical music scene. It was followed by Completamente Enamorado, Muy Bueno and Made in Argentina, which met with moderate success. In 1993, his father died of a heart attack in Bueno's arms prior to a concert where he would promote his new release La Joya. Bueno was forced to perform and later considered retiring.[8]

After six months of mourning, he returned with Made in Córdoba. As his popularity in Buenos Aires was rising, he left Polygram Records and signed a contract with Sony Music. During his short stint with the company, he recorded Sabroso, composed of salsa and merengue songs.[8] Despite Bueno's rising popularity, the recording executives still did not believe he could become a major success.[9] After experimenting with salsa and merengue, then performing as a ballad crooner, he shifted his style and repertoire entirely to cuarteto.[11] In 1996, he signed a contract with Magenta Records that gave him 1% of his total record sales.[12] The songs from his first album release, Lo Mejor del Amor, became major radio hits that propelled him to national fame and earned him an ACE Award for Best Musical Act from the Argentine Association of Entertainment Journalists. The next year he published La Leyenda Continua, recorded live at Fantástico Bailable. The record was later certified gold by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.[13] The success of those albums was followed by Cuarteteando, which included the hit songs "Ocho Cuarenta" and "Y voló, voló".[13] La Leyenda Continúa and Cuarteteando sold 60,000 copies each.[9]

In December 1999, Bueno published the album A 2000, which he promoted with a series of four sold-out concerts at the Astral Theater on Corrientes Avenue, the city's entertainment and cultural center.[14] Bueno began 2000 with a major tour of Argentina's main summer spots on its Atlantic Coast. He performed 49 concerts in nine days, including one in front of more than 100,000 people in the tourist hotspot of Mar del Plata.[15] Following the success of the show at the Astral Theater, Bueno presented a series of concerts called Cuarteto Característico Rodrigo A 2000 (Characteristic Cuarteto, Rodrigo to 2000) in the Luna Park Arena starting on April 5, 2000.[16]

The only rehearsal was performed with the band Cuarteto Leo, held in the club Mundo Bailable, owned by his manager Jose Luis Gozalo. Gozalo invested ARS80,000 (equivalent to US$135,900 in 2023)[17][18] in publicity, while he requested Tito Lectoure, the owner of the arena, to advance him ARS50,000 (equivalent to US$85,000 in 2023)[17][18] from the ticket sales to pay previous debts. The show was also financed by the alfajor manufacturer Jorgito and the bus company Flecha Bus, while the wardrobe was provided by Ona Sáez.[19] Due to the venue's fame for hosting boxing matches, the concerts were conceptualized with boxing elements. Bueno performed dressed in boxing trunks and made his entrance to the stage wearing a robe and walking through a hall in the crowd to the ring-themed stage, emulating a boxing match.[20][21] With an estimated length of two-and-a-half hours, the show included original songs, as well as classics of the cuarteto genre as a tribute to his early influence Cuarteto Leo.[20][22]

Gozalo negotiated the broadcast of the first concert with Azul Televisión. The filming of subsequent performances was halted by the Kirovsky brothers, owners of Magenta Records. The brothers sent a cease and desist order to the channel, claiming that Magenta owned Bueno's personality rights.[19] The sold-out event, originally scheduled for eight performances, was extended to a total of thirteen sold-out concerts[21][23] grossing a total of ARS1.3 million.[24] (equivalent to US$2,000,000 in 2023).[17][18] Meanwhile, the album A 2000 was certified quadruple platinum by CAPIF,[9] selling 750,000 copies.[25]

In addition to the show, Bueno was also performing an estimated of twenty-five to thirty concerts per week, including nightclubs, television and other concerts.[9] On April 8, he received the keys to the city of Formosa after having offered a concert in spite of the celebrations of its 121st anniversary.[19] Due to the effort that the appearances required, Bueno starting drinking beer to excess.[15] His stress was also increased by multiple death threats, including a gang shooting near his house in Córdoba. He also received a bullet with his name engraved on it, according to recollections by Joaquín Levinton, lead singer of the band Turf.[15]

His personal profits at the time came from receiving 1% royalties on an estimated ARS9 million (equivalent to US$15,000,000 in 2023[17][18]) in record sales, as well as an additional ARS600,000 (equivalent to US$1,020,000 in 2023[17][18]) for album re-editions and ARS500,000 (equivalent to US$850,000 in 2023[17][18]) for a merchandise deal with Torneos y Competencias.[12] Affected by his lifestyle and by disputes with Magenta Records,[19] Bueno announced his impending retirement on April 11, 2000.[26] He detailed that he would finish his scheduled concerts, including a Christmas tour throughout the United States. His last live performance, scheduled to take place at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, was to be released as his final album entitled Adiós Rodrigo. Bueno added that he would become a record producer and move to the United States.[19]

On June 23, 2000, at 20:00, Bueno attended a taping of La Biblia y el Calefón hosted by Jorge Guinzburg on Canal 13. When the show ended at 22:45, Bueno went to the restaurant El Corralón in Buenos Aires' Palermo neighborhood, where he dined with his family, Fernando Olmedo (son of the comedian Alberto Olmedo) and comedian Pepe Parada. Olmedo remarked that he had never seen one of Bueno's shows, and Bueno invited him to a show that same night at the club Escándalo in La Plata. Bueno gave a two-and-a-half-hour performance in front of an audience of 2,000. When the concert was over, he was asked to stay at the club to rest, but Bueno refused, expressing his desire to drive.[27]

In the early hours of June 24, after the show in La Plata, Bueno was driving back to Buenos Aires in a Ford Explorer SUV with his ex-wife, Patricia Pacheco; his son, Ramiro; Fernando Olmedo; musician Jorge Moreno; and radio host Alberto Pereyra.[15] According to eyewitness accounts, after stopping at a toll booth in the Hudson area of the Buenos Aires – La Plata Highway at between 0330 and 0345, Bueno's path was blocked by a white Chevrolet K5 Blazer four-wheel drive with tinted windows. In anger, Bueno started chasing the Blazer. He tried to pass it by closing onto it with the front of his SUV. After brushing the side of the Blazer, he lost control of his Explorer and crashed against a highway barrier. The SUV tumbled 400 meters (1,300 ft) and the driver's door and left back door opened. Bueno and Olmedo, who were not wearing seat belts, were thrown from the car around kilometer 24.5–25 of the highway. Bueno died at the scene. Olmedo died afterwards at Evita Pueblo Hospital. The other passengers were not seriously injured in the crash.[15][28][29][30]

Bueno's remains were taken to Lanús, where he was scheduled to perform that Saturday night, and where he was later declared an "Illustrious Citizen" by mayor Manuel Quindimil. His funeral took place there. An estimated 20,000 mourners passed his body and police presence was granted after minor incidents took place.[15][29] A helicopter and 400 police officers were deployed,[31] while six medical units were dispatched to assist a number of fans that fainted.[25] Along with other famous singers who died at the same age, he became part of the 27 Club.[32]

Bueno was booked to appear on Saturday on the show Siempre Sábado. Instead, his band played in the show as a tribute without anybody singing. Conspiracy theories surfaced claiming that Bueno's death was linked to a "Bailanta Mafia" and that he received death threats in the days prior to the accident.[33] Bueno's mother did not attend his funeral, but she appeared on the show and said that the question of accident versus murder would soon be clarified.[15]

The forensic report stated that he died of "cranioencephalic trauma". Luis Armelo, the correctional prosecutor of Quilmes called the case a homicidio culposo con lesiones (negligent homicide with injuries). The 1st Police Precinct of Berazategui identified the driver of the Chevrolet Blazer as Alfredo Pesquera, a local businessman. The next year, Pesquera was taken to trial. The prosecutor alleged that his maneuver eventually led to the death of Bueno and requested a thirteen-year sentence. In December 2001, Ariel González Eli Abe and Margarita Allaza de Iturburu, members of the 2nd Criminal Tribunal of Quilmes, concluded that the death of Bueno was caused by his own unsafe driving. Pesquera was declared innocent and released.[34] Following Bueno's death, four teen fans committed suicide.[25][35] The sales of his records and merchandise skyrocketed. Bueno sold 500,000 records during his lifetime,[24] and the sales quintupled a month after his death, with his last album selling more than a million copies.[36] The records grossed a total of ARS15 million (equivalent to US$25,000,000 in 2023[17][18]), three times the total amount that he made during his career.[37] Reruns of his concerts garnered large audiences when they were broadcast on television stations such as Azul Televisión, América 2 and Crónica TV.[37]

A series of tribute albums was released in the subsequent months by the companies owning his catalogs. His band divided into La Banda del Potro, represented by Leader Music, and Auténtica Banda de Rodrigo, represented by Magenta Records. Both bands released 11 albums, grossing a total of ARS1 million[36] (equivalent to US$2,000,000 in 2023[17][18]). In 2000, while Bueno's popularity was soaring in Buenos Aires, consulting agency Delfos found that among people in Córdoba, 72% preferred the music of "La Mona" Jiménez while 15% preferred Bueno. The following year, Jiménez was listed at 46%, while the numbers for Bueno increased to 40%.[8]

In 2011, a new theory surfaced after the newspaper Crónica spoke to the police about the cause of the accident. The police source mentioned the possibility that Rodrigo's intensive routine might have increased the production of adrenaline in his body. The investigators explained that, if Rodrigo did not release the excess adrenaline through urination after his last concert, he could have lost his sense of distance in relation to Pesquera's Blazer. This could have caused Rodrigo to apply the brake and turn the wheel violently.[38]

Initially Bueno's mother claimed to be the absolute owner of his recorded material as well as profits. Judge Ricardo Sangiorg of the 76th Civil Court froze all of the assets held in bank accounts and copyrighted material hosted by SADAIC and the Argentine Musician's Union, as requested by the legal group Cúneo Libarona-Ballester, the representatives of Patricia Pacheco and her son Ramiro. Pacheco claimed that Ramiro Pacheco was the legitimate son of Bueno and requested a DNA test to verify it. The lawyers sent legal notices to Olave, her lawyer Miguel Angel Pierri and Gozalo stating that none of the assets of Bueno's estate could be used or spent until it was decided which one of the parties would inherit them.[39]

The DNA tests confirmed that Ramiro Pacheco was the son of Bueno and his surname was changed. Rodrigo's account at Credicoop Bank contained US$300,000, but it was emptied by his brother Ulises before it was blocked by Judge Sangiorg. The copyright holdings could not be transferred to Ramiro Bueno, since the original compositions of his father as well as other assets were registered on his behalf under the name of Ulises. Beatriz Olave negotiated deals over the image of Bueno for use on the jersey of the soccer team Club Atlético Belgrano.[40]

The disposition of Rodrigo's body became a subject of dispute. A possible cremation and transport of the ashes to the Córdoba province was denied by judicial authorities in case a future autopsy was needed.[41] The idea of a burial at the Lanús Municipal Cemetery was rejected by his mother due to concerns about vandalism. Instead, she decided to place the body in Las Praderas Cemetery in Monte Grande.[41][42] Since the investigation into Bueno's death was still open and further tests might be performed, his body was placed in a container by the Justice Ministry. In 2005, five years after his death, the case was closed and the burial was authorized. The body was placed in a marble mausoleum. His mother, manager and friends attended a memorial service where they placed a trophy over the marble grave, symbolizing the appreciation of his relatives, fans and friends.[43]