Juan Carlos Lamas

Juan Carlos Lamas (born Rafael Velázquez, October 13, 1921, in Rosario, Argentina – July 27, 2004, in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine tango vocalist and actor. Beginning his musical career as a child under his guitarist father’s guidance, he relocated to Buenos Aires and initially performed under the stage name Carlos Dumas in downtown venues before eventually joining Juan D’Arienzo’s orchestra after a successful audition near Corrientes Avenue.

Lamas’s most significant artistic period came during his approximately fifteen months with D’Arienzo (1942–1943), during which he recorded about fifteen tracks. His small but expressive voice—characterized by perfect pitch and sober interpretation—appeared on tangos including “Pompas de jabón,” “Vieja recova,” “Embrujamiento,” “Seguime corazón,” “Pobre mascarita,” and the milonga “Música de mi Argentina.” Though neither famous nor prolific as a tango singer, his recordings remain documented in tango archives and discographies.

After leaving the orchestra to pursue broader opportunities, Lamas performed internationally in Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Italy, where he lived in Rome for a period. He transitioned primarily to acting, appearing in approximately twenty-five films, including a cameo in Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960), and achieved notable television prominence in the 1987 telenovela Como la hiedra, where he portrayed the character Jacinto across all 120 episodes.

Sources note: Birth date sources vary: Wikipedia, Todotango, and tango.info consistently cite October 13, 1921, while Apple Music lists October 23, 1921. All other sources confirm the year 1921 and death date July 27, 2004.