Carlos Jiménez

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Carlos Jiménez (disambiguation) .

Carlos Jiménez at a concert in La Falda

Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez (actually Juan Carloz Jiménez Rufino ; born January 11, 1951 in Córdoba ) is an Argentine singer who helped shape the Cuarteto music genre .

Jiménez 'Artist Name La Mona ( span. For the Chimpanzee ) still comes from his childhood, when he when Tarzan -Play from friends and neighbors with the chimpanzee Cheeta was compared, which occurs in several Tarzan movies.

life and career

Jiménez was born into a working class family, his parents were immigrants from the provinces of Tucumán and Salta . In his childhood he made his first musical experiences in the style of folklore .

At the age of 15, “La Mona” won a casting and integrated the local band Cuarteto Berna , with whom he released 5 albums. In 1972 he made his debut as a soloist , supported by his uncle, who brought him into contact with the cuarteto scene. In the same year he suffered a serious accident when he was hit over the head with a bottle in a football stadium. After 4 months in a coma and a long period of rehabilitation, however, he was able to continue his career. In 1973 he met his first wife Juana, whom he married in 1975. Since the music genre Cuarteto was banned from 1976 in the then military dictatorship , a longer period of inactivity followed.

In 1984 he separated from his uncle because he said he made too many rules about the musical design of his songs. Jiménez, whose aim was to modernize the then stylistically stagnant Cuarteto, began an independent career and was very successful with it. He imitated with Afro - mullet and a glamorous costumes the glam rock movement, and thus increased the Cuarteto in the youth culture of the central part of Cordoba establish - before it was popular only in the suburbs.

In 1988 he performed for the first time in Buenos Aires and was able to establish himself in this important market at the beginning of the 1990s. It triggered a veritable Cuarteto boom and prepared the ground for Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno and La Barra , who achieved national Cuarteto hits from the mid-1990s.

In 2000 he separated from his wife, with whom he had two daughters and a son. His daughters are fashion designers and create the costumes for La Mona performances. His son is also a singer.

In the context of a nationwide tightening of the regulations for events after the accident in the República Cromañón discotheque , after riots at a concert in La Mona in 2005, an initiative from the right wing of the local city administration under Luis Juez , dance events in Córdoba only with severe restrictions ( e.g. ban on alcohol, compulsory entry ban for violent criminals). As a protest against this, Jiménez announced his resignation as a singer shortly afterwards. However, after discussions with the city administration and the presentation of a security concept by the organizers, which led to the withdrawal of the controversial initiative, Jiménez resumed his activities.

Carlos Jiménez is still very popular today, especially among the youth of the lower classes in Cordoba, and despite his advanced age he gives concerts three to four times a week (so-called Bailes de Cuarteto ).

Musical work

“La Mona” is probably one of the most productive musicians in the world: to date he has released more than 70 albums, some of which contained cover versions of old titles. One of the last albums, Selección Privada (No. 72), is a collection of rearranged old hits. From this album onwards Jiménez tried to circumvent the established structure of the music industry and sell his records in kiosks and supermarkets in order to be able to offer them for significantly lower prices. This is important because the Cuarteto market in Argentina is dominated by illegal dealers, and "La Mona" was able to offer the CDs at prices similar to the CD pirates thanks to this commercial move.

Filmography

• De caravana , 2010 (Director: Rosendo Ruiz)

Web links

• Carlos Jiméneze's website
• Carlos Jiménez in the Internet Movie Database (English)