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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
John Bartlettin Valparaíso

The 80-year-old market trader who became a Chilean music star

Singer Luis Alberto Gómez performs with his band Los Cracks del Puerto before a cheering crowd
Luis Gómez, known as JM, sings with Los Cracks del Puerto at the SCD Hall in Santiago, Chile. Photograph: Tamara Merino/The Guardian

At a concert hall in the Chilean capital, Santiago, an 80-year-old man edges unsteadily down a steep staircase. With one hand he grips the metal bannister, in the other he carries a mug of hot water with a slice of lemon, as if heading to bed.

But when the red stage curtain is pulled aside for him, Luis Gómez, or JM as he is universally known, transforms in an instant. He skips on to the stage to a roar from the crowd and launches into a bolero, punctuated by hip thrusts and shuffling two-steps.

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