Roberto Díaz

Roberto Pablo Carvalho, professionally known as Roberto Díaz (5 April 1900 – 2 December 1961), was an Argentine tango vocalist and composer. Born in Buenos Aires, he became one of the earliest and most significant figures in the history of vocal tango. Recognized by bandleader Francisco Canaro as “the first vocalist” in tango orchestras, Díaz pioneered the role of the estribillista (refrain vocalist) beginning in 1924, fundamentally transforming tango from primarily instrumental music to incorporate vocal performance. Over approximately three decades, he recorded nearly 870 tracks, the majority tangos, working with the most prominent orchestras and musicians of the era, including Orquesta Típica Victor (115 tracks), Luis Petrucelli, Cayetano Puglisi, and Osvaldo Fresedo. Notable among his compositions was “Agüelita qué hora son,” created with Cayetano Oreste. Following a period in Europe, Díaz relocated to Chile in 1936, where he continued performing with leading tango ensembles until his death.

Sources note: No significant date conflicts detected. The existing file records (1900-1961) match across multiple independent tango databases (tango.info, Todotango.com, Wikipedia DE). The cross-reference hint to ‘RoberDiaza’ (1938-2011) appears to reference a different person, not further verified in available sources.