The name of Dany Martin, is synonymous with the “most romantic of all.” I mention it with that title, but it is also inevitable that I go to that back room of Badía and company. As in selection practices; that Messi spends some time De Paul and De Paul to DI María. That’s what they were like, Roberto Janés, Dany Martín, Daniel Riolobos and Chico Navarro. And they rehearsed a little, and there was a piano there, and it was the four of them, you see? Tremendous wonderful voices, being able to witness that rehearsal…
A few days ago he won again Gardel Award. For “A lifetime.” Danny Martin63 years old artistic career, remembered his life partner with this album. Let’s talk about that and a little about him. Father’s day also. All female daughters, today with grandchildren, life has passed and has left a lot of testimony to tell. Of a new prize. A new award. I like everything. So many things that one thinks and feels in the life of Dani Martín. Being able to sing to your daughters that you have that gift of being able to sing and sing to your daughters, when they are little, maybe. That is a dream, that not everyone can fulfill, to sing in tune. We talk with Danny Martinabout his life
Dear Dany Martín, is a new award coming to your career, did you expect it, are you happy?
Yes, I am very happy, because it is the most important musical award in our land, in our country, the first was in 2014, in 2016, the second came, and I said to myself, well, that’s it, then the third was in 2021, coming out of the pandemic and I found out on TV. And when I was shortlisted for this room, I thought about it, and I said no, it seems to me that this is already somewhat exaggerated. But well, my granddaughter, one of them, the oldest, sang “I carry you under my skin” on this album “Toda una vida”. Then she summoned two other girls, the other two youngest granddaughters, Martina, 15, and Juana, 12.
Dany Martin, Daniel Riolobos and Roberto Yanes in “Badía y Compañia”
When we arrived at the awards ceremony, I went with my representative and Gustavo Calabrese, the musical director of my band. And I started to feel a little uncomfortable in the sense of thinking what would happen if I didn’t win the statuette, my granddaughters think I’m Superman, so I say, if I lose, what a mess with these girls. I didn’t really have a good time until they mentioned me and with great emotion, of course, I went up to receive the award. An executive from the recording label also came up, a label that has a history of more than 20 years, and that had never won a Gardel with nobody. So for them this was also a source of immense joy. And when I arrived to receive it, and they gave you the microphone, some of the many friends that I have had in my life and who have passed me by and I can no longer hug them, probably at some point, and at that precise moment, one of them blew at me the phrase that I said, the wind is old but it continues to blow. How nice, how good. But the phrase is not mine, I don’t know who dictated it to me.
Could it not have been Antonio Prieto?
He could be my soul brother, of course. Furthermore, with Antonio there was a magical game, truly magical. I was 10 years old when I saw him hopeful, shocked by his music and his success, on Antonio Prieto’s show, Blanco y Negro, Channel 13. And life later put it in such a way that, well, through a song mine, which was called “God and the Farmer”, with Teresa, with his wife, they were in the car, they heard it, and that song impacted him so much that he told Antonio to Teresa, (I found out some time later) , “I have to know him.” He found my phone number in Sadaic. Imagine that in those times, 45 years ago, no cell phones; and he called. I lived at my mother’s house. My mother, very saintly and very gullible and very healthy, she thought it was a joke and Antonio asked her for the address there and she gave it to him. And when she hung up the phone I said, “Mom, who was she?” Mom tells me, “I’m sure one of your friends is acting crazy… They told me it was Antonio Prieto.” And half an hour later the doorbell to Mom’s apartment rings, she looks through the door and comes back pale. And she looks at me and Antonio Prieto is out there. So, well, she opens the door for him, I’m never going to forget it in my life. She opens the door, she comes in and we meet in the living room of mom’s apartment and he looks at me and says, you and I have to be friends for life.
This is how my brotherhood was born because this went far beyond a friendship, a generous friendship that God gave me and that I keep in mind every day. So much so that I am finishing making the album that will be released in August, in mid or late August and I recorded a beautiful song by Alberto Cortés that I wrote at least 50 years ago, dedicated to Antonio Prieto, called “Carta to an Artist”.
Dany Martin “A Whole Life”. Look at the video!
I, of course, knew the song more than 30 years ago, beautiful. Through Antonio I met Alberto Cortés when I lived in Mexico and so did Antonio. We both lived in Polanco ten blocks from each other and we were together every day. I learned a lot from him, a lot. He was a tremendous artist and an exceptional human being.
Dany, a new Father’s Day is here, tell us what memories you have of your father that have accompanied you throughout your life.
I have the best memories of my father, because when I was about to be born, he was joining the Lucio de Mare Orchestra as a vocalist. At that time dad was 27 years old. and my mother 23 both were from the province of Santa Fe, Teodelina, where I was baptized. They had already come to Buenos Aires and Lucio, in a gesture of immense generosity, asked dad where they were living. And at that time, for just over three, four months, they had been living in a very humble boarding house near Corrientes Avenue, on Maipú Street.
Then dad tells him, “look teacher, we are living in a boarding house, but only for the moment, we are looking to rent and I can save money so that later we can buy a small apartment and Lucio had an apartment that still exists, that I wanted to buy.” twice and unfortunately they did not sell it to me, on Calle Arenales 1844 Sexto C, an apartment with one and a half bathrooms, with a bathtub, and a very small kitchenette, very well located, Arenales between Callao and Riobamba.
And we lived there for the first two years of my life and in those two years dad was able to save money to buy a small apartment at, which also still exists, Scalabrini Ortiz 1221, third floor up stairs. I lived there from the age of two until I was 18. So all the memories I have of my father are linked to singing, on the one hand, while I saw dad singing, at that moment, they told him, of course, that I had just reach the world, it was 2 in the morning on February 13, and then I had, not for too many years, but the necessary ones, the best representative of all, who was my father, who was also the representative of Hugo del Carril and who had discovered the career of Rubén Juárez
What a luxury, there was no better representative
Dad was the manager that all artists dreamed of, because he was a manager who had sung. That he told all the secrets, up and down the stage. He was ideal, discover “Negro” Juárez, and in reality he only had me for 15 years, he continued to represent me outside the country, but after a long time I understood that he did not want to represent me here in the country anymore, because He told me, everyone knows that I am your dad, so I can’t go and say, I have the best Bolero singer, because the best Bolero singer is my son.
So it wasn’t very neat, and, of course, at first I didn’t like it, but then I understood it, and well, it put me in the hands of Hugo Román, Eduardo Álvarez, other tremendous representatives of that first period of mine, until I am first time, with the help of your father, to Mexico in the year 68.
You were born on February 13, ‘for one day you were not the gift of Valentine’s Day’
Of course, 13 also became a number that always followed me, at the age of 13, on November 13, on Channel 13, I won the contest “Today A Star is Born.” And a month later, on December 13, he debuted at 1 p.m., on Radio El Mundo, with the stable orchestra of Radio El Mundo, which was 40 professionals and the Fanny Day choir, led by Santos Lipecker. So well, from that moment until today. It would never have occurred to me to stay so many years. God has been generous to me so far.
As for values, what do you remember he instilled in you and in what way?
On one of the first tours, I was 15 years old, we arrived in a town. They were 60-day tours without returning home, enormous tours throughout the province of Buenos Aires, the province of Córdoba, the province of Santa Fe and part of La Pampa. . Well, and we arrived, and I remember the ritual of when my father came in, the musicians were already setting up and so on, and I asked him, how are dad, how is he with people? Of course, 800 people came to that club. So he tells me, “look, actually there are more or less people, 800 come in, but only 200 have come, but I’m going to tell you one thing: sing as always, because there are 200 of you.” “It’s not their fault that the other 600 didn’t come.” And to this day, thank God, little happens to me, because where I sing, the places are always full, thank God. Throughout my career, many times I have been able to sing for half a room. But that stuck in my mind, That singing for 100 and 50 is the same, you have to go out and do, The delivery must be the same. I think that’s the most important thing that dad gave me.
Dany, regarding this award, you have three daughters, now there are your granddaughters, so this thing about being a grandfather, which is being a dad twice, how does it impact your emotional life? How are you going to celebrate Sunday? What do you have in mind?
Well, I’m going to celebrate it on Telefe, because I’m going to sing on La Peña de Morfi. a way of, through my songs, paying tribute to Father’s day.
When I was seventeen, eighteen years old, I fantasized about the possibility of getting married and having children. This happened, and I had three daughters. But my fantasy didn’t end there. My fantasy was that those daughters would then get married, and that the grandchildren would come. What was my wish? May my daughters, and my grandchildren, all be better than me. And it was given to me. God has been very generous with me.
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