Chaqueño Palavecino

Oscar Esperanza Palavecino (December 18, 1959), better known as Chaqueño Palavecino, is an Argentine folklore singer-songwriter. Hailing from the department of Rivadavia in the Chaco Salteño region, he grew up in extremely poor conditions and had to work from a young age to support his family. After relocating to the city of Salta in 1976, he took up a series of odd jobs during the day and performed at peñas at night as a way to overcome his stage fright. At the age of 25, he formed the group Pilcomayo Tres, which enjoyed great popularity in the Argentine North. Following Pilcomayo Tres’ disbandment, Chaqueño Palavecino spent the next couple of years trying to record his first solo album with little to no success. In 1987, he finally released his studio debut Pa’ Mis Abuelos Esta Zamba, which was followed by the incredibly popular Pa’l Tío Pala two years later. During the 90s, he juggled between his work as a bus driver and an ever-growing artistic career, releasing classic albums such as El Alma de Felipito (1995), Salteño Viejo (1997), and Chaqueñadas (1999), which featured a rendition of the Rojas brothers’ “Chacarera del Olvido.” The early aughts brought him nationwide recognition with a string of commercially acclaimed titles, most notably the album Abrazando al Caudillo (2008), in which he explored the repertoire of the legendary singer Horacio Guarany. Over subsequent years, El Chaqueño Palavecino solidified his status of elder statesman of Argentine folklore with the albums Mi Cielo Terrenal (2011), Pa’ Mi Gente (2014), and the double album Soy y Seré (2019).

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