Between May 1943 and September 1944, the popular orchestra singers Alberto Castillo, Angel Vargas, Roberto Rufino, and Francisco Fiorentino left their respective employers to form their own orchestras and launch solo singing careers. All went on to perform and record on their own except Vargas, who would return to D'Agostino's orchestra within the month.
Perhaps in response to the popularity of those solo singing idols and the extensive publicity they received, the ads in the El Mundo Dance Guide began to afford greater attention to the highly regarded singers like Berón, Podestá, Marino, Vargas, and others who continued to work in the traditional role of orchestra singer. Previously, the singers had often, though not always, been mentioned by name in ads for the orchestra, usually in small print. Now, the print got bigger and the singers' photographs began to appear. After all, if soloists like Castillo, Rufino, and Fiorentino were worthy of superstar treatment and the adoring crowds that went with it, were not the highly-regarded orchestra singers Berón, Vargas, or Podestá worthy of similar treatment? The answer, apparently, was yes.
I'm not sure whether this was the doing of the orchestra leaders themselves, the record companies, the sponsoring clubs and cabarets, or the publicity agencies that placed the ads in the paper. It may have been all four.
On this page we've collected ads that document the changing role and the increasing importance of the tango singer during this period. We'll add to the collection from time to time.
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