Carlos Mayel

Carlos Mayel (1913–1984) was the artistic name of José Luis Anastasio, an Argentine tango singer, composer, and guitarist born November 19, 1913, in Mataderos, Buenos Aires. Son of Italian immigrants from Sicily, Mayel grew up in modest circumstances before pursuing music as his passion. He studied voice with an Italian lyric master and guitar with Ángel Domingo Riverol, Carlos Gardel’s own guitarist, receiving validation directly from Gardel’s mother in 1942.

Mayel’s professional career began circa 1932 on Radio Fénix under the pseudonym Osvaldo Peña. His breakthrough came when he joined the Orquesta Típica Osvaldo Fresedo in 1939, where he remained until 1942, recording eight tangos with the master orchestra. He later made sporadic recordings, particularly on the Magenta label, accompanied by guitars and various ensembles. His compositional output exceeded 300 works—tangos, milongas, rumbas, boleros, and zambas—many composed in collaboration with letristas including Francisco Laino, Celedonio Flores, Enrique Dizeo, and Reinaldo Yiso. Notable compositions include “Yo nací para Palermo” (1947), “Entre Curdas” (1958), and “Mataderos, barrio mío,” a nostalgic milonga campera celebrating his native neighborhood. After his son’s birth in 1947, Mayel stepped back from active performance but continued composing and recording until his death on January 2, 1984, at age 70.

Sources note: Death date discrepancy: tango.info lists death as June 2, 1984, while todotango.com, letrastango.com, and El Tango y sus invitados sources consistently cite January 2, 1984. The January 2, 1984 date is better corroborated across multiple independent sources and is used in the main entry.