Federico José Moura

Federico José Moura (23 October 1951 – 21 December 1988) was an Argentine singer, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer and lead vocalist of the new wave rock band Virus, formed with his brothers Julio and Marcelo in 1981. Moura is now regarded as one of the most recognizable and influential musicians of Spanish-language rock.

Early life Federico José Moura was born on 23 October 1951 in La Plata in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. His father was Pico Moura, a lawyer, and his mother was Velia Oliva, a schoolteacher and amateur pianist. He was the youngest of four brothers; his eldest brother, Jorge, was an active member of the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), and was kidnapped and disappeared in 1977 by the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976–1983).

Federico showed interest in music from a young age, and he began playing guitar and piano aged four. He finished high school at the Colegio Nacional de La Plata and enrolled at the National University of La Plata. The group started going by Virus in 1981. In January of that year, the band had their first gig at the Asociación Universal in La Plata.

In 1982, during the Falklands War, Virus were invited by the military regime alongside other major acts in the local rock scene (such as León Gieco, Luis Alberto Spinetta and Charly García) to participate in the Festival de la Solidaridad Latinoamericana ("Latin American Solidarity Festival"), but the band refused to partake. The song El Banquete ("The Banquet"), included in their album Recrudece (1982) and released after the Argentine defeat in the war and the resignation of General Galtieri, addressed the incident.

Virus's breakout moment came with the 1984 album Agujero interior, and they reached their peak popularity in 1985 with Locura, the latter of which includes a number of veiled references and commentary, such as the lyrics of Sin disfraz ("Without Disguise"), which playfully retorts a CBS executive who had allegedly suggested Federico hide his homosexuality to avoid losing some of the band's female fans. According to Roberto Jacoby, the sociologist who wrote many of the band's lyrics during this era and author of Sin disfraz, the song became a sort of "work anthem" for male prostitutes. He is credited as the lyricist for Rumbos secretos, Ausencia and Transeúnte sin identidad.

Discography With Virus

Wadu-Wadu (1981) Recrudece (1982) Agujero interior (1983) Relax (1984) Locura (1985) Virus vivo (1986) Superficies de placer (1987)

As soloist "A Mí Me Dicen el Tonto" (with Daniel Sbarra), from Leda Valladares' album, Grito en el Cielo Vol. 1 (1989) "En Atamisqui" (with Daniel Sbarra), from Leda Valladares' album, Grito en el Cielo Vol. 2 (1990)