ONCE UPON A TIME…
Vox
Dei was founded in the spring of 1967, when Willi Quiroga (bass
and vocal) got together with Ruben Basoalto (percussions), Ricardo
Soule (guitar, vocal and harmonica) and Juan Carlos Godoy (guitar
and vocal). At the beginning, the name of the band was Mach 4 (a
name chosen by Willy, in remembrance of his short attendance of
the School of Aeronautics ), and its repertoire included themes
in English and Spanish. Two years later, after knowing the producers
of Mandioca and with the possibility of recording a single, the
band decided to change the name and, again, Willy finds the name
which will be the definite one…Vox Dei.
With
this name, they participate in the beat festival held in the Amphitheatre
in Buenos Aires in July 1969, and already back then they were a
rock and blues band singing in Spanish.
After
recording a couple of singles for the indipendent house Mandioca,
(Bitter Sugar and I want to be and soon after The come back of Dr.
Jeckill and Present), the band records its first album “Caliente”
(Hot) in 1970. This album was well received by the public and many
of its songs turned with time in classics, which have an important
place in the discography of the band.
From
then on, the group got hooked on the realization of an ambitious
project, that of realizing a conceptual work based on the Bible.
This album (a double), which title was “The Bible according to Vox
Dei” marked a whole space in the history of Argentinian rock, and
it turned into the major creation by Vox Dei. At the end of the
recording, Godoy leaves to start a solo project.
In 1971, Nacho Smilari joins the band for the live presentation
of the album, and with him the band records a single “Only a man”
and “Where have you been all this time”. But already in 1972, Vox
Dei got back to be a trio again, and in this period they bring to
life two new works: “Hot leather” and “Jeremiah, lead feet”. Straight
after that, they launch a live album of various themes sung during
a tour across Argentina , called “Hell Ship”.
".
In 1973, they join the staff of CBS Argentina and record their first
album for this company, called “There's no doubt, it's a cloud”
and in 1974, for the same house, record “Vox Dei for Vox Dei”. For
this double album, Soule invites the guitarist Carlos Rodriguez,
who records “Something is changing me” and “Must go out and look
for you”. Shortly after this, Soule and Rodriguez announce their
leaving the group in order to dedicate themselves to their solo
carreers. They are replaced by Beto Fortunato (guitar), who unfortunately
has passed away, and Carlos Michelini (guitar and vocal), who is
the only one of the two to participate in the recording of “We're
in the fish tank”, edited in 1975. 1976 sees new changes : Michelini
retires and travels to Spain and Raul Fernandez (guitar) and Enrique
Diaz “ Avellaneda ” (guitar and vocal) join the group, who will
record with them “Blind for centuries”.
In 1978, Soule comes back and again joins Quiroga and Basoalto,
and the result of this new encounter is an excelent album of rock
and blues “Night cat”.
From this moment, the band starts the Project of a new conceptual
work, based this time on the “Cid Campeador”. Some of the tracks
get to be heard live, but, due to the country's conditions ( these
are the years of the military regime, ndt) and the lack of
interest of the recording companies, the band decides to split up
in 1981, with a goodbye concert realized in the stadium Obras Sanitarias,
to which all the fans attend massively to part from their idols.
At the end of 1986, Vox Dei comes back, with four concerts, which
are all sold out, in the Opera Theatre in Buenos Aires . These tracks
got recorded in the mobile study of El Cielito, for the live edition
of the album “The Bible according to Vox Dei”, which presented as
a novelty the inclusion of words in the theme “Apocalypse
In
1887, they celebrated their 20th birthday with three performances
completely sold out, in the Astral Theatre. The unconditional support
of their fans, the evolution and the growth of the band were one
of the reasons which allowed them to carry on. In 1988 they edit
their tenth album, entitled “I have reasons to carry on”, presented
in the Opera Theatre on the 4, 5 and 6 of November of the same year.
They gave a tour around the country presenting this album, together
with all the classics which are part of their repertoire, receiving
favourable critic from their audience, but at the end of 1989, Soule
decided to again travel abroad, this time to Spain , to carry out
a new project as solo.
Since
the departure of Ricardo, many guitarists come and go; in 1992,
when Carlos Gardellini joins in,
In
April 1996, Soule comes back, with the intention of joining again
Quiroga and Basoalto to start a new stage in the band's life, after
a seven years absence, due to which Ruben and Willy agree to his
coming back to the band, also with the agreement with Gardellini,
who decides to carry on with his solo career, interrupted when he
joined Vox Dei. So, under the production of Roberto Carrillo, on
May 1 st and June 1 st 1996, in the Opera Theatre, takes place the
comeback of the best band ever of the Argentine rock.
Nothing
was left out in this festival of rock, new themes were presented
as well as the old classics, forever in the hearts of their fans.
As a memento, a new CD was recorded, released in November 1996,
with thirteen tracks and a multimedia track which contained two
more themes on video, plus personal impressions of the band. The
title of this work was “The comeback of the legend”.
On
November 29 and 30 the band plays again before the public, and this
time the place they choose is the Gran Rex Theatre, where there
are many important musicians invited, among them Alejandro Lerner,
Walter Giardino, Edelmiro Molinari and, traveling especially from
Madrid, Andres Calamaro. After this event, they recorded for Warner
Records Argentina, the third and definite version of the “The Bible…”,
with an orchestra of chords and invited guests of the caliber of
Alejandro Lerner, Andres Calamaro and Fito Paez. This recording
was enriched with two bonus tracks, consisting in two parts of a
new conceptual work titled “Elijiah's mantle”.
At
the beginning of 1999, Soulé decides to try again to go solo…
Due
to this, Willy and Ruben meet again with Carlos Gardellini, in order
to form again the powerful trio which is the actual band, which
is realizing events in the country, like it did in Bolivia .
They're
editing their new CD “El camino” (The path) in November 2005 through
their own recording house “ La Rompe Records ” (The record breaker).
Vox
Dei looks ahead and has big projects for the future:
For
example, the celebration of their 40 years of career!!!!!
