Born in 1951, Charlie Garcia is a well-known singer, musician, and producer from Argentine. He has been part of some of the greatest rock bands to come from the country. Two of the most well-known bands that he was a part of was Sui Generis and Seru Giran. The first was very popular throughout the 70’s and the second band gained a large following during the 80’s. He was also part of smaller bands that would later receive a cult following.
After his time in Seru Giran, Charlie Garcia spent a great deal of time focusing on his career as a solo musician. He became an exceptional piano, keyboard, and guitar player. Most critics, experts, and historians label Charlie as the most important rock artist to come from Argentina. He is considered to be the Father of Argentinian Rock. Some even consider him the most influential rock artist on the planet.
The Sui Generis Years
Most of the 70’s were dedicated to Sui Generis. The band was inspired heavily by the Beatles, of whom Charlie had admired since his early teen years. He often referred to their sound as “music from Mars”. His own band attempted a very similar sound and then later fused with a second band to form Sui Generis.
At first, Sui Generis strived to maintain the same psychedelic vibe as the Beatles. However, the band would slowly form its own sound. It wasn’t long before they known more as a folk-rock band with slight influences from popular symphonic bands of the time.
The first time the band played a public gig most of the members did not show up. It was only Charlie and fellow band founder, Nito. Charlie played the piano and Nito played the flute. Despite missing most of their band, they were a huge success with the crowd.
Sui Generis would continue to rise in popularity over the following years. The band released a total of four albums by 1975. Most of them were very successful, yet the band was still having trouble because of internal conflicts. That same year, the band would split ways after two farewell shows. The shows both had an audience of more than 20,000 people. At the time, it was the largest audience at a rock show in Argentine history.
The Seru Giran Years
The band, Seru Giran, formed several years later in 1978. He was going through financial troubles at the time and struggled to accumulate enough funding to support the cause. He eventually decided to sign a fairly one-sided contract with a production company after bringing together enough members for a band. The band was named Seru Giran and they would record their first album in Sao Paulo.
Surprisingly, the band’s first show did not go over well with the crowd. The public was expecting to hear more music like Sui Generis, but the sound from Seru Giran was original and unexpected. Crowds would often request songs from the old band and the requests would be denied.
It wasn’t until the early 1980’s that the new band earned a serious following. It was later said that his work in Seru Giran was his best. The band was often referred to as The Argentine Beatles. One of the main band members left in 1982 and that eventually resulted in the band disbanding. However, they did reunite for several live tours during the early 1990’s.
Charlie Today
The rest of Charlie’s career was spent improving himself as a solo artist. He would record a number of hit albums and singles that were very well received. He most recently launched a return to the spotlight in 2009. His latest studio album, Random, was released in 2017.
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