José Antonio Labordeta

Life & Legacy

José Antonio Labordeta Subías (10 March 1935 – 19 September 2010) was a Spanish Aragonese singer, songwriter, poet, writer and political activist. He was described by The Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa (Great Aragonese Encyclopedia) as "The most important Aragonese singer-songwriter". He began singing in an attempt to give more relevance to his poetry; his songs are well-known and beloved anthems in Aragón. Poetic songs such as "Aragón", "Canto a la libertad" (Song for Freedom) or "Me dicen que no quieres" (They tell me you don't want to) also gained national popularity.
He was also the founder of the Andalán newspaper, which was very influential during the 1970s. From 2000 until retiring in 2008, he represented Zaragoza in the Spanish Congress for Chunta Aragonesista (Aragonese Union), an Aragonese political party.