Rosendo Market
Rosendo Mercado Ruiz (Madrid, February 23, 1954), better known simply as Rosendo, is a Spanish rock guitarist, singer and composer. He was part of the groups Ñu and Leño, and is considered one of the most important representatives of Spanish rock.
Biography
First Steps
Rosendo was born in Madrid, the son of emigrants from Bolaños de Calatrava. He grew up in the neighborhoods of Lavapiés and Carabanchel, where he has lived ever since. After dropping out of the ICAI engineering school, in 1972 he joined Fresa as a guitarist, a group that played versions of popular songs and sometimes accompanied soloists. After various changes, which included the incorporation of José Carlos Molina as singer, the band was renamed Ñu. Rosendo combined the creation of the band with military service. In 1974 he discovered the music of Rory Gallagher, who became one of his biggest influences along with other groups like Jethro Tull, Canned Heat, Cream, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath.
Stage in Leno
After completing his military service in 1975, he participated in the recording of Ñu's first single. His relations with José Carlos Molina were not good and in 1977 Rosendo left the formation to create Leño. Leño's name was unknowingly given by Molina, when discarding several songs by Rosendo, telling him that "these songs are a log." With him, who in addition to the guitar would be in charge of the voice in the new group, left Chiqui Mariscal, who played the bass, and Ramiro Penas on drums.
They made their debut in 1978 as the opening act for Asfalto. They were hired by Vicente Romero, who was starting up Chapa Discos and published the collective album Viva el rollo, Vol II: Rock del Manzanares, which included two songs from the band: "Este Madrid" and "Learning to listen".
In 1979, Leño's first long-playing album was released, using the name of the group as its title. The album, produced by Teddy Bautista, contains songs with long instrumental developments, among which "El tren" and "Este Madrid" stand out. During the recording, Chiqui Mariscal left the group and was replaced by Tony Urbano, a fact reflected on the album cover.
Más madera, Leño's second album, appeared in 1980, at the height of the new wave explosion. Heavily influenced by the arrangements made by Teddy Bautista, the songs are shorter and the style less heavy.
In 1981 they recorded the album En directo in the Carolina room. Despite not having an optimal sound, the album had good sales. Among the songs included is one of Rosendo's best-known, "Maneras de vivir," which had only previously been recorded in the studio for an advance single. Luz Casal (choirs) and Teddy Bautista (keyboards) participated in the album.
Leño's last official album, ¡Corre, corre!, was made with more means thanks to the success of the previous one. It was recorded in London, with the production of Carlos Narea, and songs like "Surprising" and "What a disappointment!" stand out.
In 1983 they participated in Rock of a Summer Night, a tour organized by Miguel Ríos that became a milestone in the history of rock in Spanish, by launching a series of concerts for all of Spain using large sound and light media. In the fall of 1983, when they were at their most successful moment, the group decided to break up.
Later, in 1997, the compilation Maneras de vivir was released, which included the best of the band and some singles that were left out of their albums such as "Aprendiendo a escuchar" or the studio version of «Ways of Living».
In 2006, and after a hard and long legal battle, the members of Leño managed to put up for sale Vivo '83, a live recording recorded on their last tour, which is accompanied by a DVD that reviews the group's career.
In 2010, and at the initiative of the group itself, Bajo la cortex was released, an album where 26 artists interpret songs by Leño. For its presentation, on February 17, 2010, the short but historic reunion of Leño took place in the Caracol room in Madrid. Bassist Tony Urbano, drummer Ramiro Penas and vocalist and guitarist Rosendo Mercado returned to share the stage 27 years later to perform five of their classics: "La Fina", "¡Qué Disilusión!", "Maneras de vivir", "El Train” and “Amazing”. This meeting was kept secret until the very moment of the start of the performance, much to the surprise of those in attendance.
Solo stage
Some problems with his previous record company (Zafiro, to which Chapa Discos belonged), delayed until 1985 the release of Rosendo's first solo album, Loco por incordiar, released by RCA, recorded in Germany and produced by Carlos Narea. It was the most commercially successful moment of his career, thanks to songs like "Grateful", "Pan de higo" or the one that gives the album its title. His last records for RCA were "Out of Place", released in 1986, and ... To Worms , released in 1987. Jo Dworniak was in charge of production. On this album, bassist Rafael J. Vegas joined the group, who has continued to accompany him ever since.
After leaving RCA, Rosendo went on to record with the Twins. The first album with this new label was Jugar al gua (1988), which contained some songs with a different style to the previous ones (for example, the reggae "Del pulmon"), but also one of his key themes, «Loose pants». The second album for Twins was Directo (1989), which included songs from his entire career up to then, including two by Leño.
Rosendo changed labels again when Twins joined DRO, a company with which he has continued to record until today (2007). The first album for DRO, Let me tell you no, appeared in 1991. The production was shared with Eugenio Muñoz, who would also participate in several subsequent albums. A year later La tortuga appeared, a record that contained a song that was frequently broadcast at that time, "Majete", which would once again provide him with some success.
With Para mal o para bien (1994) he recorded for the first time in the El Cortijo del Aire studio, in Cabo de Gata. Some outstanding songs on the album are "¿De qué vas?" and "Even in profile." The latter is a subject of criticism of power and in it he has the collaboration of three members of Celtas Cortos.
Their next album, Listos para la reconversion, was released in 1996. To promote this LP, their then manager Jaime Arias commissioned a figure from the sculptor José V. González. the band two musicians who had been accompanying him for many years, the keyboardist Gustavo Di Nóbile and the drummer Miguel Ángel Jiménez. After publishing the soundtrack of the film Give me something the following year, directed by Héctor Carré, in 1998 he began a new stage in which he used the trio format (bass, drums and guitar, renouncing the keyboard) and temporarily changed his guitar of a lifetime, a Fender Stratocaster, for a Gibson, although he changed the original pickups for those of the Stratocaster model, declaring that "being faithful to Fender, what attracts him to the Gibson is the aesthetics ». Later he would return to Fender because he was not used to the Gibson, especially because of the touch. The first album of this new stage was A tientas y barrancas (1998), which was followed in 1999 There is always a story... live, which was recorded in the courtyard of the Carabanchel prison and achieved the first gold record in the Madrid's career.
In the year 2000 the city of Leganés gave his name to a street in the municipality. At the opening ceremony, Rosendo declared: «I can't say anything more than thank you. These things only happen once in a lifetime, and they do. I feel ashamed, proud and happy."
Canciones para normales y mere insane was published in 2001. It is an album that, despite the hardening of the sound, maintained the good level of sales achieved with the live performance. Canciones para normales y mere inmentas inaugurated a new stage that was endorsed with his next album: I see, I see... Mamoneo (2002), also a gold record, in good part thanks to the single "Masculino singular". In 2005, Lo malo es... ni descargar was released, which could be considered as part of a trilogy,[by whom?] along with the previous two.
Meanwhile, in 2004, his record company released Salud y buenos alimentos, a box with two compilation CDs, one of rarities and a DVD with video clips and a concert recorded in Mexico.
In 2006 he received the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts
On May 29, 2007, his new album saw the light of day, El endémico embustero y el incauto pertinaz, recorded during the months of December 2006 and January 2007 and consisting of 11 songs. The sound was similar to the one he had been using on his latest albums, although the songs were slower. The record came out in a box similar to medieval books.
In 2008 he set out to tour Spain on a tour with Barricada and Aurora Beltrán (ex-singer of Tahúres Zurdos). The tour, known as Another Sleepless Night, began on April 4 at the Anoeta Velodrome in San Sebastián, ending on September 26 at the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid. On this tour, she took the opportunity to recall all her great successes, both from the stage with Leño and solo. On December 2, 2008, a pack with 2 DVDs and a CD of the Las Ventas concert would finally be released.
After three years without new material, in which Rosendo was touring with Barricada and Aurora Beltrán and preparing the album of Leño's covers, on June 29, 2010 he released Sometimes it's hard to get to the chorus, an album with eleven new songs.
At the end of 2011, he released a concert recorded months before at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, in a CD + DVD edition. He also put up a box for sale that included all his solo studio albums (period 1985-2011), with the addition of the CD from the Palau itself.
After three years without new material, on October 1, 2013 his fifteenth studio album, Vergüenza torera, was released.
On September 27, 2014, he held a concert in Las Ventas to celebrate his 40th anniversary in the world of music in which Kutxi Romero, Fito Cabrales, Miguel Ríos, Luz Casal, El Drogas, and his son participated as guests Rodrigo. On December 2 of the same year it was released on a double CD + DVD. On October 21, 2015, he received the gold record from El Gran Wyoming for the sales of said album, the fourth throughout his solo career.
On March 5, 2018, Warner Music announced its withdrawal from the stage with a farewell tour, called My time, ladies and gentlemen....
On August 24, 2019, the Bolaños de Calatrava city council gave his name to a street in the municipality.
In 2020, in a documentary that he continues to compose, he recognized that he would like to release a new album but that it would be with another band format and with a very different touring approach.
Discography
- With Leño
- Leño (1979)
- More wood (1980)
- Run, run! (1982)
- Alone
- Crazy for incording (1985)
- Out of place (1986)
- ... To the worms (1987)
- Play the cool (1988)
- Let me tell you no! (1991)
- The turtle (1992)
- For evil or for good (1994)
- Ready for Reconversion (1996)
- Tientas and rods (1998)
- Canciones paranormal y mero dementes (2001)
- I see, I see... (2002)
- The bad thing is... (2005)
- Intoxicating endemic and pertinent seizure (2007)
- Sometimes it's hard to get to the chorus. (2010)
- Bullshit (2013)
- Stair and trench (2017)