Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno (Spanish: [roˈðɾiɣo aleˈxandɾo ˈβweno]; 24 May 1973 – 24 June 2000), also known by his stage name Rodrigo or his nickname "El Potro" ("the Colt"), was an Argentine singer of cuarteto music. He is widely regarded as the best, most famous and most influential singer in the history of this genre. Bueno's style was marked by his on-stage energy and charisma. His short, dyed hair and casual clothes differed from typical cuarteto singers with strident colors and long curly hair. During his career, Bueno expanded cuarteto music to the Argentine national scene, remaining one of the main figures of the genre. The son of Eduardo Alberto Bueno, a record shop owner and music producer, and Beatriz Olave, a songwriter and newsstand owner, Rodrigo Bueno was born into the cuarteto musical scene in Córdoba, Argentina. He first appeared on television at the age of two, on the show Fiesta de Cuarteto, along with family friend Juan Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez. With the help of his father, he recorded an album of children's songs, Disco Baby, at the age of five. During his preteen years he informally joined the local band Chébere during live performances. He dropped out of school at the age of twelve and successfully auditioned for the band Manto Negro. After five years without success in Córdoba, Bueno's father decided to try to launch his son's career as a soloist in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1990, Bueno released his first record, La Foto de tu Cuerpo, on Polygram Records. Bueno introduced his next album, Aprendiendo a Vivir, with a live performance at the nightclub Fantástico Bailable. The performance brought him his first recognition in the tropical music scene.
In 1995, Bueno signed a contract with Sony Music that lasted only for the release of the album Sabroso; the next year, he moved to Magenta Records in a deal that granted him one percent of his record sales. He discarded salsa and merengue from his repertoire, recording and performing exclusively cuarteto. His first release with the label, Lo Mejor del Amor, became an instant radio hit, earning him national fame and an ACE Award for Best Musical Act. The success was followed by La Leyenda Continúa (certified gold by CAPIF) and Cuarteteando. His 1999 release A 2000 became the theme of a series of concerts begun in the Astral Theater and held the following year in the Luna Park Arena under the name of Cuarteto Característico Rodrigo A 2000 ("Characteristic Cuarteto, Rodrigo to 2000"). The show sold out the stadium thirteen times, while the album A 2000 was certified quadruple platinum.
Bueno's schedule at the time included twenty-five to thirty shows weekly. Due to his demanding tours, Bueno began consuming beer to excess, which began to interfere with his performing. His stress levels were further increased by receiving multiple death threats. Following a concert at the nightclub Escándalo in La Plata, Bueno was returning to the city of Buenos Aires on the evening of 24 June 2000. After his path was blocked by another driver who had passed him on the turnpike, Bueno tried to chase the vehicle to move in front of it again. In the process, he lost control of his SUV and crashed against a barrier. He was ejected from the SUV and was killed instantly. His death caused an immediate sensation in the Argentine media, with speculation about a possible murder conspiracy. After a short trial, the driver of the other vehicle was found not guilty; the judge considered Bueno to have been responsible for driving imprudently.
Early life and beginnings in music
Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno was born on 24 May 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 as well as BMG, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. His mother, Beatriz Olave, was a newsstand owner and songwriter. 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. 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.
Growing up, Bueno worked as a paperboy at the newsstand of his grandmother, Hortensia. 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. Bueno had written songs since the age of ten, but he would not show them to his colleagues because of his grammar mistakes.
Becoming a soloist and rise to fame
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. Although he described himself as a "cuarteto fan", his first album had a rock style. 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.
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. Despite Bueno's rising popularity, the recording executives still did not believe he could become a major success. After experimenting with salsa and merengue, then performing as a Crooner, he shifted his style and repertoire entirely to cuarteto. The songs from his first album release under Magenta Records, 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. In 1997, 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. The success of those albums was followed by Cuarteteando, which included the hit songs "Ocho Cuarenta" and "Y voló, voló". La Leyenda Continúa and Cuarteteando sold 60,000 copies each.
Cuarteto Característico Rodrigo A 2000 live performances
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. 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. 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 5 April 2000.