Osvaldo Cordó

Osvaldo Cordó (1923–1985) was an Argentine tango singer and guitarist, born Alfredo Agustín Alberti in Dock Sud, Buenos Aires. His father, also named Alfredo, was a guitarist and Carlos Gardel enthusiast who trained his son in guitar and vocal technique. At age fifteen, young Alberti received formal vocal training from maestro Eduardo Bonessi. Known for his delicate voice and distinctive mezza voce technique, Cordó performed under the stage names “Osvaldo Cordó” and “Alberto Marino,” with the nickname “Mocito.” He recorded his first tango with Aníbal Troilo’s orchestra in April 1943 under the Alberto Marino name, and that same year debuted on LR2 Radio Argentina with Miguel Padula’s orchestra. He also performed with José Francisco García’s orchestra (1945–1947) and Carlos Di Sarli’s ensemble. His most notable work came with Osvaldo Fresedo’s prestigious orchestra (late 1947–mid-1949), where he recorded four pieces for RCA-Victor between July and September 1948, including “Por las calles muertas,” “Cafetín de Buenos Aires,” “Volverás,” and “Motivo de vals.” Health problems forced his withdrawal in 1949, but he returned to performing in 1959 at venues including La Armonía tearoom and Maipú Pigall cabaret, recording three singles for the TK label that year while accompanying himself on guitar.