Barón Rojo

Barón Rojo was a Spanish hard-rock/metal band that debuted with the 1981 Chapa album Larga vida al rock and roll, followed by six studio albums and two live discs through 1989 on Kamaflage and Zafiro.

Members: Carlos de Castro (vocals, guitar), Armando de Castro (guitar, vocals), Hermes Calabria (drums, percussion, 1980-89, 2009-11), José Luis Campuzano [aka Sherpa] (bass, vocals, 1980-90)

Background

Barón Rojo formed in 1980 in Madrid when guitarist–singer Armando de Castro assembled a quartet with bassist–singer José Luis Campuzano (Sherpa), drummer Hermes Calabria, and guitarist–singer Carlos de Castro, his older brother.

The brothers grew up near Plaza del Dos de Mayo in Madrid. Armando sang contralto in the choir at Colegio de San Antón and started on a classical guitar. Their father bought an electric guitar in 1968 for the brothers. They formed the school band Cracking Hearts and merged with Uranio 235 in 1971 to form Materia. Carlos played bass in Franklin and Blue Bar. Armando joined Asfalto in 1974 through drummer Félix García. The brothers reunited in 1975 in Kafrú and revived Coz in 1976 with bassist Juan Toro and drummer Julio César “Narpias.” Armando also recorded with the duo Ana & Johnny and played on the 1978 album Albanta by singer–songwriter Luis Eduardo Aute.

Campuzano was born on November 22, 1950, in Madrid’s Ventas district. He taught himself guitar and joined Top-Ten at thirteen as singer–guitarist. Sherpa recorded solo singles in the early 1970s and played bass in the Spanish production of Godspell, where he met actress Carolina Cortés. Campuzano subsequently joined singer–guitarist Pepe Robles in Módulos, which also performed as Tao. He studied solfège and double bass at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.

Calabria was born on December 17, 1950, in Montevideo, Uruguay. The drummer played with singer Rubén Melogno in Ovni 87 and Western Union. He joined the Uruguayan rock band Psiglo in 1974 and settled in 1975 in Madrid. Calabria accompanied Argentine singer–guitarist Moris and joined the Madrid band Azabache for the 1980 album No, gracias.

Coz secured a CBS contract through singer Johnny of Ana & Johnny. The label favored songs by bassist–singer Juan Márquez for the 1980 debut Más sexy, which prompted disagreements over the repertoire. The De Castro brothers left Coz and exchanged their rights to the name for release from the CBS contract. Campuzano discussed a new band with Armando at the Madrid conservatory and the nearby Savol café. Armando saw Calabria perform with Moris; Coz manager Javier Gálvez contacted the drummer about the new quartet. The four musicians met at Café Comercial in the Glorieta de Bilbao.

The quartet rehearsed the Coz repertoire and fulfilled existing summer bookings under the old name. Armando proposed Barón Rojo, which the group first used on August 16, 1980, at a concert in Leganés. He presented demos to radio broadcaster and Chapa Discos director Vicente “Mariskal” Romero, who arranged a contract with the Zafiro imprint. Barón Rojo entered Escorpio Studios in November 1980 in Madrid with producer Romero for the debut album Larga vida al rock and roll.

Discography:

• Larga vida al rock and roll (1981)
• Volumen Brutal (1982)
• Metalmorfosis (1983)
• Barón al rojo vivo (live, 1984)
• En un lugar de la marcha (1985)
• Siempre estáis allí (live, 1986)
• Tierra de nadie (1987)
• ¡No va más! (1988)
• Obstinato (1989)

Sources

• “Biografía” — Armando de Castro. School choir, first guitars, Cracking Hearts, Materia, earlier bands, the Coz split, summer bookings, and the Leganés debut. (Official website)
• “La ciudad de la vieja guardia del rock” — Lola Hierro, February 8, 2013. The brothers describe their childhood district, conservatory studies, and contact with Campuzano and Cortés. (El País)
• “Dando la nota” — Sherpa and Carolina Cortés. Campuzano’s early biography, conservatory subjects, bass duties in Godspell, and the connection with Cortés. (The Sentinel)
• “Sesiones tesoro RNE 18: Sherpa 1974 – Tao (Módulos) 1978” — Discópolis, January 7, 2020. Radio archive dates, the Tao name, and the quartet with Campuzano and Robles. (RTVE)
• “Antiguos componentes” — Barón Rojo. Birth details, earlier recordings, and Calabria’s passage from Psiglo to Spain. (Official website)
• “Entrevista a Hermes Calabria” — HUSH Magazine, reproduced December 19, 2013. Ovni 87, Western Union, Psiglo, Moris, Azabache, the Gálvez call, and the Café Comercial meeting. (Púrpura Chess)
• “Entrevista a Coz” — Juan Márquez. Kafrú, the rebuilt Coz lineup, and the CBS repertoire dispute. (ExpoRockMusic)
• “Larga vida al rock and roll: un disco que ya es cuarentón” — July 17, 2021. Reproduced recollections by Romero and Mariano García about the demos and the Chapa contract. (La Voz de Mi Yo)
• “Discografía” — Barón Rojo. November 1980 sessions at Escorpio; Armando’s separate discography confirms the earlier album credits. (Official website)