Camilo Sesto
Who was Camilo Sesto?
Camilo Blanes Cortés, known artistically as Camilo Sesto (Alcoy, Alicante, September 16, 1946 – Madrid, September 8, 2019), was a singer, songwriter, and producer, regarded as one of the great voices of 20th-century Spanish music. His distinctive timbre and interpretive skill made him a benchmark for the romantic Spanish-language ballad for decades.
He began his musical career in the mid-1960s in various bands before starting his solo career, which would take off decisively in the early 1970s.
Career
His first major hits as a solo artist came with songs such as “Algo de mí” and “Vivir así es morir de amor,” which launched him to stardom in Spain and, very soon after, throughout Latin America, where he reached enormous popularity. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he strung together hits that turned him into a mass phenomenon comparable to other great Spanish solo artists of the era.
Camilo Sesto was also a pioneer in producing musicals in Spain: he adapted and produced “Jesus Christ Superstar” in the early 1970s, playing the role of Jesus himself, and years later drove other stage productions, showing an entrepreneurial side uncommon among artists of his generation.
Notable discography
Among his most remembered songs are “Perdóname,” “Jamás,” “Melina,” “Getsemaní,” and “Amor amar,” along with “Vivir así es morir de amor” and “Algo de mí.” His repertoire combines emotionally powerful ballads with more pop-oriented songs, and many of his tracks became standards covered by artists across Latin America.
Legacy
Camilo Sesto is regarded as one of the great balladeers of Spanish-language music, with a notable influence on later generations of romantic singers. His death in 2019 was met as the loss of one of the most important voices in recent Spanish music history.