The renowned Cordovan music producer and composer Julian ‘Pelusa’ Navarro passed away in Costa Rica at the age of 73. He is a great artist of international projection, who received two Grammy awards, becoming the only one born in Córdoba to obtain them.
Navarro produced songs and albums for important and renowned singers such as Julio Iglesias, José José, Pimpinela, Roberto Carlos, Rocío Dúrcal, Sandro, Isabel Pantoja, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Jose Luis Rodríguez, Ana Gabriel, Vikki Carr, Dyango, Carlos Cuevas, Chucho Avellanet, Ricardo Montaner, among others.
As a producer, he has received a total of five recognitions from Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards. The first was obtained in 1993 for the album “Cosas del amor” performed by Vikki Carr and Ana Gabriel.
In 2015 the Latin Grammy Awards gave him another recognition for being the producer of the song “Necesito un bolero” by Puerto Rican Gilberto Santa Rosa, winner of the best traditional pop vocal album category. In addition, he was nominated six times.
Due to his extensive career, he was declared an Illustrious Visitor of Córdoba in 2013 and the following year the Government of Córdoba awarded him the “Artistic Merit” award.
Navarro started in music when he was 4 years old at the hands of his father, Francisco “Kiko” Navarro, who was also a musician. Later he entered the Provincial Conservatory of Music of Córdoba, Argentina, under the tutelage of maestro Nicolás Alfredo Alessio. There he studied piano, harmony, composition and counterpoint.
At the age of 7, he appeared in the auditorium of what was then Radio LV-2 interpreting works by Maestro Ginastera.
When he turned 15, he worked in public dances with the Los Caribeños university band, and three years later, he formed the Pelusa Navarro band.
In 1973, he was the artistic director of Córdoba’s first record label T&K.
He promoted numerous artists from Córdoba, among them: Álamo y los dulce, Chébere, Sebastián, and the instrumental albums of Lucien Belmond, whose first song “Aire libre” is part of the soundtrack of the movie Relatos Salvajes. That song was also the musical curtain of the program The health of our children of Dr. Mario Socolinsky.
He managed to produce in Córdoba artists such as Gianfranco Pagliaro, María Martha Serra Lima, Paz Martínez, the trio Los de siempre and the trio San Javier.
In addition, he was a founding member of two iconic groups in the history of Cordovan music, such as El Grupo Encuentro and Los Musicos del Centro. With them he shared live performances, records and stages with renowned figures such as: Litto Nebbia, Dino Saluzzi, Fito Páez, Juan Carlos Baglietto and Silvina Garre.
In the 1980s he worked with CBS Sony and became associated with AADI and is one of its most active members.
Its international projection
In 1987, working for Sony, he made a great leap by bringing international artists to Córdoba to record with artists from Córdoba, as was the case of José Luis “EL Puma” Rodríguez with Los Nocheros and Lourdes Robles with the trio Los Patricios.
Shortly thereafter he worked with other internationally renowned artists such as Luis Aguilé, Sandro, José José, Pimpinela, Roberto Carlos, Julio Iglesias, Rocío Dúrcal, Isabel Pantoja, Carlos Cuevas, Edith Márquez, Guadalupe Pineda, Rocío Banquels, Lucía Méndez, Lupita D ‘Alessio, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Dyango, Ricardo Montaner, among others.
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Julian ‘Pelusa’ Navarro, great Cordovan musician and composer, died in Costa Rica