World Wide Mundo Rock: Soda Stereo/Gustavo Cerati

“Soda Stereo” is an Argentinian band that started in early 1982 emerging from the “Post-Punk” movement at the time in the Buenos Aires, Argentina underground music scene. Soda Stereo is considered the most important band from Ibero-America and has sold over seven million albums worldwide. Original members included Gustavo Cerati, Charly Alberti, and Zeta Bosio. The following years the band played various venues and clubs where they quickly initiated a following throughout Latin America and North America. Some of their most important concerts at the time include Rock & Pop Festival ’85, & Viña del Mar ’86. On their third album “Doble Vida” the band was collaborating with producer Carlos Alomar who was a former guitarist that played with such legendary acts like James Brown, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and David Bowie amongst many others. Soda Stereo kept raising the bar on their live performances and gaining new fans throughout the “Americas." By the 1990’s, they co-headlined with Tears for Fears where their impressive musical talent and influence was eminent. Their 5th album “Canción Animal” is considered by critics the bands best creative album and most influential to this date. By 1994, the band had a significant tragedy when the two young sons of Soda Stereo's bassist Zeta Bosio died in a car accident. The tragedy created tensions to disband the band and each member took separate ways for the next year. On that same year Gustavo Cerati released his first solo album “Amor Amarillo” where a different direction in music was being started. In 1995, the band re-united to release their 7^th and last studio album “Sueño Stereo” where the album experienced a massive success throughout North/Latin America. In 1997, the band announced via press-conference their breakup, soon followed by a farewell tour. The band reunited back in 2007 playing some American locations. The band had its most recent tragedy when lead singer Gustavo Cerati suffered a massive “stroke” in May 2010 in a concert in Venezuela. Until this date, the lead singer endured therapy and hasn’t been able to recover from this incident. Cerati is currently under medical treatment and is assisted by a mechanical respiratory system where little brain stimulation is present. Soda Stereo united the world of Rock and to this day, their music has influence many other acts that followed their foot-steps. In 2011 Bono, while on tour in South America, took the time to send some love and a quick recovery to Cerati. Bono’s action reflected the importance of Cerati and Soda Stereo in the world stage, and their influence.