PERU PERFORMERS

Many performers have achieved mass appeal and recording contracts in Peru and can support themselves solely by their work as musicians. Nationally celebrated performers include Florcita de Pisaq (a huayno vocalist), Pastorita Huaracina (a singer of both cholo and mestizo varieties) and Jaime Guardía (a virtuoso of the charango).
These performers take pride in being bearers of tradition, play at most traditional festivals and hire themselves out to wealthier villages to provide music for those festive events that require it. Although they may hold little attraction for the wealthy urban population (who tend to deny their roots), they often appear at large venues in major urban areas. They appeal to the displaced campesinos and city migrants who live in the pueblos jóvenes, or squatter settlements, which have sprung up on the outskirts of the large coastal cities. These artists travel a circuit of major urban centres, including Cusco, on local concert tours.
Recordings of these artists are generally only available locally, but they can sometimes be found in shops catering for Latin American immigrants. Occasionally, an artist of this type will end up on an album collection.