Alvaro

Biography

Álvaro Peña-Rojas (September 7, 1943 – January 8, 2026) was a Chilean singer-songwriter, and a pioneer of punk rock in Chile. While he was not an award winning musician with large tours, he has established a cult status. Peña-Rojas was born in Valparaíso. He attended The Mackay School. He had saxophone lessons and was self-taught on the piano. His first performance was in 1962 playing saxophone. He played rock and roll, mambo, and bebop to punk and experimental music. Some of the early bands he played with were Los Dandys, Los Challengers, and Los Bumerangs. With Challengers and Bumerangs he had three singles released between 1965 and 1967. He then played for the Casino Orchestra where he became proficient in Latin rhythms. Peña-Rojas opted for a different career once he became a husband and father. He became a creative copywriter at J. Walter Thompson. He was already in London when the 1973 Chilean coup d'état happened and he decided to remain in England as a refugee. In 1974 he became one of the founding members of The 101ers, a rockabilly band. The band included Joe Strummer who later co-founded The Clash. Peña-Rojas played tenor saxophone in the band. The association helped him to develop a connection to the punk subculture. His first solo album was made in 1977. The album included the song "Valparaíso" about the places he left behind. He self-produced many recordings during his career under his Squeaky Shoes label. His discography contains LPs, EPs, and limited-edition singles. He sold many of the recordings at his concerts rather than at a retailer. He also changed the covers frequently, even drawing some himself. All of that makes it difficult to have a complete discography.

Bio from Wikipedia