BA City honors music producer and manager Daniel Grinbank

The Buenos Aires Legislature honored music producer, manager, and artistic representative Daniel Grinbank by naming him Personalidad Destacada de la Cultura (Distinguished Cultural Figure) for his 50-year career in the entertainment industry. The title is a distinction the city gives out to individuals or groups of people who have made outstanding contributions “in benefit of the community” in fields like culture, sports, science, and human rights, among others. Grinbank, who began his career as a radio DJ in the 1970s, first impacted Argentina’s music scene landscape by creating groundbreaking FM radio station Rock & Pop in 1985. He would later go on to lead a powerful production company that pioneered big-budget stadium shows in the country, putting Argentina on the radar of some of the biggest names in the industry. Grinbank (71) expressed his gratitude for the honor, adding that he wanted to share the recognition with the people who he had worked with over the years.  “I feel deeply honored to share it and to have you all here today,” he said.  A lifelong passion for music Grinbank’s career took a significant turn in 1972, when he first encountered the entertainment industry during a formative trip to California to visit his uncle Herb Cohen, who managed Frank Zappa, Bette Midler, Tom Waits, and Alice Cooper.  With renewed energy and ambition, Daniel returned to Argentina and began working with celebrated artists of Argentine rock. During the late 1970s and 80s, he became manager of key acts like Charly García and even Mercedes Sosa in her return to the country after her exile. He would later go on to create independent record labels. For the general public, he is perhaps most well known for the A-list performers he brought to Argentina through his company. Among others, he produced shows by Tina Turner, Sting, The Ramones, The Cure, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Nirvana, U2, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Guns N’ Roses, and AC/DC. He broke box office records with five sold-out shows by The Rolling Stones at River Plate stadium in 1995. He also produced the free Rolling Stones concert in Rio de Janeiro in 2006, which drew an audience of two million people. Grinbank’s resume also features the staging of Disney musicals and theater productions, as well as the organization and production of immersive-experience exhibits based on the works of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, street artist and political activist Bansky, and Pink Floyd. The event During his speech, Grinbank described the moment Argentina is experiencing as “difficult times.”  “I do not like a society in which we disqualify others for thinking differently, where we have lost empathy and the capacity for dialogue, where barbarism prevails over science,” he said.  He finished his presentation by saying “culture is the smile that shines everywhere,” a verse by legendary singer-songwriter León Gieco, who surprised everyone by taking the stage. He sang the songs La cultura es la sonrisa, La colina de la vida, El fantasma de Canterville, closing with the honoree’s request, Hombres de hierro. Former legislator Hernán Reyes, the main proponent of honoring Grinbank, called him “an extraordinary producer” who helped shape the cultural agenda of Argentina and Buenos Aires.  “He showed us that culture can be part of our everyday lives. He transformed the way we experience culture, linking it to the democratic system and to human rights.”  Famed theatrical producer Carlos Rottemberg, representing his guild, expressed gratitude to the legislature for the distinction and referred to Grinbank as a “progressive businessman, in the truest sense of the word.”  “The reasons we are here are well deserved, because he is a builder — a great builder — of Argentine culture,” he said.  Another honoree In addition to Grinbank, rock songwriter Marcelo Cuino Scornik was also granted the same recognition. During his career, he wrote lyrics for classic hits by singer-songwriter Andrés Calamaro (Mil horas, Estadio Azteca, El Salmón), and also recorded a solo album in 2005 that featured a who’s-who of Argentine rock: Charly García, Juanse, Adrián Dárgelos, Vicentico, Pipo Cipolatti, Joaquín Levinton, and his dear friend Calamaro. After receiving the award, Scornik recalled that music came to him through his “father, mother, and sisters.” His career, he added, continued with the support of “people, many of whom are here today, who allow me to continue.” Over the last few years, the 66-year-old Cuino has been writing lyrics for a new generation of artists, like Zoe Gotusso, Bandalos Chinos, Conociendo Rusia, El Zar, Juan Ingaramo, Ysy A, and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso.