Tango y Cultura Popular ® English Edition TyCP Special | Page 56

Women influence on Tango poets:
“Tango’s scent of a woman”.
Tango as a song leaves
aside discrimination or
marginalization, and grants
a projection in which it
doesn’t matter the singer’s
or the lyrics addressee’s
gender, man and woman stay
connected with Tango. This is
how great poets and talented
musicians created sublime
tangos being ‘women’ the
axis of the songs, sometimes
delicate, other times
coarse, loyal or unfaithful,
prostitutes or impeccable
mothers, beautiful, aesthetic
or ethically. Tangos about
women such as Margot,
Ivette, Milonguita o
Esthercita, Felicia, Malena,
María, Gricel, La Morocha,
la Rubia Mireya, etc. Most
of them were real women,
brave dolls, flesh and bones
inspiring muses, and others
were products of the author’s
creativity or a homage paid
to some woman in history, all
of them became myths and
legends.
José María Contursi and
Gricel Viganó: Gricel
In 1935, the great poet José
María Contursi met Susana
Gricel Viganó. She was
16 years old, and she was
beautiful, angel face, deep
blue eyes, and fair hair. He
was a dandy, neat hairstyle
56
and clothing, proper speech,
he was a born charmer. José
María, known as “Katunga”
or “The Duke of porteñan
nights” was 24, he was
married and had a daughter.
He was Pascual Contursi’s
son, a pioneer in sung
tango, a figure, admired by
Gardel himself, and the lyric
composer of La Cumparsita
and Mi noche triste, among
others. José María was
raised within his father’s
bohemian circuit of friends,
where they all honored
Tango, women, turf, drink
and San Lorenzo football
team. He worked as a radio
announcer, film critic, and
officer of State.
The moment José María and
Gricel met, their life suddenly
changed, it was love at first
sight, and it was a difficult
one since he was married.
A love story that it could
well be a soap opera plot.
They met through a friend
in common, Nelly Omar, at
Stentor Radio, where he was
working. Gricel returned
home in Córdoba, and he
stayed in Buenos Aires. Three
years later, José María faced
health problems and was
prescribed Córdoba’s healing
air. Without hesitation, he
headed to Capilla del Monte
to stay at the Viganós’ inn