Luis Alberto del Paraná
| Luis Alberto del Paraná | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luis Osmer Meza |
| Born | 21 June 1926 |
| Origin |
 Altos, Paraguay
|
| Died | 15 September 1974 (aged 48) |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, singer-songwriter, musical artist, performer, writer |
| Years active | 1942—1974 |
Luis Alberto del Paraná (1926–1974) was a Paraguayan singer and guitarist. During the fifties, sixties and early seventies, he traveled extensively around the globe with his group Los Paraguayos, popularizing Paraguayan music. He is the best-selling Paraguayan musician ever.
He was born on 21 June 1926 at 14:30 in Altos, Paraguay. His birth was reported in the magistrates court on 14 August 1926 by his mother, Jacinta Mesa (not Meza). His name was Luis Osmer Meza.
Luis was the fourth son of eight children, of whom one was a girl, Obdulia (Chiquita), a retired singer. Doña Jacinta, Paraná's mother died on 15 August 1965, while Luis was in touring in Europe; Luis's father, who was a rural teacher, died in Piripucú, Concepción in 1947.
Luis attended primary school in Ypacaraí. At the age of 14, Luis entered the boy-scouts in "Batallón Rojas Silva " (Salesianito), under Father Ernesto Pérez Acosta's management.
"The fact that he was meant to be an artist was clear from the age of eighteen, when he interpreted 'Campo Grande' alongside Humberto Barúa and Digno García, a great harpist. It was there, in the old Rex theatre, that people started to feel attracted by this young, enthusiastic countryside boy."
After touring through Central America, Luis Alberto del Paraná (artistic name adopted in Mexico) formed a band with Digno García and Agustin Barboza. This band was named "Los Paraguayos Threesome" and by decree, 24 November 1953, the national government gave each one of the members 3200 dollars to disseminate Paraguayan music in Europe through an "Official Cultural Mission".
His first wife was Lissette Cairoly, a French "circus princess". His second wife was Carmen González Caballero, a Spanish dancer. They had two children: Luis Manuel Meza González and Carmen Fabiola Meza González.
In (1958), in Milan, (Italy), Paraná gave Father Pérez a complete set of percussion instruments for his former Scout Battalion to use. Later on, Paraná dedicated a song to Father Pérez. This song was included in an LP issued by Philips International and was distributed world wide.
When the contract expired, the band dissolved and Paraná formed the band "Los Paraguayos" with his brother Reynaldo Meza, Rubito Medina, and José de los Santos González, a harpist. They quickly recorded two LP's for Philips in the Netherlands: "Famous Latin American Songs" and "Ambassador of Romance", which had great success. This was the start of the recording of "more than 500 songs". They recorded hit after hit until Paraná died.
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