Ramón Bautista Ortega (; born February 28, 1941) is an Argentine singer and actor, better known as Palito Ortega (). Ortega is an icon of Argentine popular music, and is considered one of the main representatives of the musical style called New wave that marked the Hispanic-American music between the years '60 and '70. He reached international fame, particularly in Latin America and Spain, during the 1960s, when the rock en español style of rock and roll music was popularized among teenagers in the region. Biography Youth Ortega was born to a very poor family in Lules, and had to work from a young age, selling newspapers in San Miguel de Tucumán, and finding a job at a store. His real passion, however, was music, as he had been dreaming of becoming a singer since early childhood; as a teenager, Ortega was an admirer of Elvis Presley. Ortega moved to Buenos Aires in 1956, where he sold coffee in the city's parks, corners, and streets. He used his work as a coffee seller to get into show business by setting up a coffee-selling spot near Buenos Aires' Channel Seven Public Television station. This worked well for Ortega, as many entertainers would stop by to buy coffee from his stand, and he became acquainted with some of the best known Argentine rock musicians of the era. Ortega also worked near Radio Belgrano, where many of the singers he met while selling coffee near the television station would recognize him and form a bond with the young star in the making. Ortega became friends with members of a famous group called "Carlinhos y su Banda". He learned to play drums during band practice sessions, eventually joining the group. A period of wild success across South America followed for the band, with Ortega being one of their most popular members. Ortega left the group to follow a solo career, confident that the recognition the group had given him would guarantee him success as a solo artist. Career in entertainment His first solo album, La Edad del Amor ("The Age of Love"), was recorded under the artistic name of Nery Nelson. This album, as well as the next one (Yo no Quiero, translated to "I Don't Want To"), were not hits. Both albums were recorded in Mendoza with low budgets and no recording company to back them up. Ortega also used the artistic nickname