JUAN LEGIDO LEGACY
'Tributo A Mi Padre"
"Tribute To My Father"
Un dia tres de enero del 1923, en la ciudad de Tetuán, capital del entonces Protectorado Español de Marruecos, nace un niño registrado el día quince del mismo mes, bajo el nombre de Juan Legido Díaz Hijo de Francisco Legido Pérez, un militar natural de Yecla, Murcia y Bárbara Díaz Vela, una joven ama de casa natural de Hellín, Albacete.
"Niño el cual cincuenta y cuatro años mas tarde sería mi padre."
Seguidamente la familia se traslada a Madrid donde el pequeño Juan se cría y crece junto a sus padres y hermana mayor, en el conocido barrio de Lavapíes situado en el centro de la Capital Española. Era una época difícil, ya que España atravesaba momentos de guerra y posguerra.
De niño jugaba con gusanillos de seda y disfrutaba como cualquier otro niño con sus amigos del barrio; aunque su infancia fue algo sufrida, ya que por la escasez económica surgían ciertas cohibiciones; su madre criaba conejos y hacía lo que podía, su padre aunque le demostraba afecto, tenía una fuerte disciplina militar.
"Recuerdo cuando solíamos ir a cenar a un restaurante, él nos animaba a terminar todo lo que se pidiera y nos comentaba, “que en su infancia, su padre lo llevaba a ver las vitrinas de dulces y bocadillos”
“Tampoco olvido las veces que yo me inquietaba, como niño consentido al fin y me decía; si te hubieras criado con tu abuelo Paco no te portabas así ni medio minuto, también las veces que jugando y corriendo me caía y hacia daño, su expresión era no pasa nada, mas sufrió Jesucristo en la cruz.
Desde jovencito ayudaba a su padre a vender y distribuir sacos que tejían con su madre, asimismo participó como monaguillo de la Iglesia en sus años escolares.
Sin contar con una infancia espléndida, ahora mi padre y su hermana sufren la desoladora separación de sus padres.
(Año 1940) Estando su madre muy delicada de salud, el joven Juan comienza a interpretar cancioncillas y así poder comprar la medicina de su madre con lo que ganaba, además de seguir vendiendo sacos a los clientes de su padre; esta vez por su cuenta.
"Quien le diría que aquellas vicisitudes y sufrimientos impulsarían a iniciarse en lo que sería el futuro de una carrera brillante"
Entre los dieciséis y diecisiete años recibe la desgarradora noticia del fallecimiento de su madre a consecuencia de un cáncer. Con brillo en los ojos él recordaba aquel día cuando se encontraba llorando la muerte de la persona que el mas amaba y se acerca el portero de su barrio y le dice "chaval ya tu madre murió, ahora tienes que seguir adelante".
En el servicio militar, también se desenvolvió como chofer del General quien le daba instrucciones para dar de comer a Fifí, perrito que pertenecía a la esposa del superior antes mencionado.
"Siempre decía en tono gracioso, que dentro de sus funciones como chofer del General, era darle de comer a Fifí, cuyo menú incluía, natillas finas que antes que llegaran al plato del perro se las comía él."
Concluyendo el servicio militar continúo cantando en diferentes escenarios. Vivió por un año en la tierra vecina de Portugal.
On the third day of January 1923, in the city of Tetuan, former capital of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco, a child was born registered on the fifteenth day of that same month, under the name of Juan Legido Diaz son of Francisco Legido Perez, a military man natural of Yecla, Murcia and Barbara Diaz Vela, a young housewife natural of Hellin, Albacete.
"A child which fifty-four years later would be my father."
Rapidly the family moves to Madrid where little Juan is raised and grows with his parents and older sister in the known district of Lavapies located in the center of the Spanish capital. It was a difficult time, since Spain was going through moments of war and postwar.
As a child he played with silk worms enjoing like any other child with his neighborhood friends; his childhood was somewhat suffering because of certain economic scarcity that raised up, his mother raised rabbits and did what she could, his father although showed him affection, had a strong military discipline.
"I remember when we used to go and have dinner at a restaurant, he encouraged us to finish all that was asked for, saying, "that in his childhood, his father took him to see the counters of sweets and pastrys "
"Nor I forget the times I acted fussy, as a spoiled child after all, he said: if you had grown up with your grandfather Paco, you would not behave like this not even for a half minute, als the times when I hurt my self playing and running, his expression was, that is nothing, Jesus Christ suffered more on the cross.
At a young age he helped his father sell and distribute woven sacks his mother made, also participated as an acolyte of the Church in his school years.
Without an splendid childhood, now my father and sister suffers the devastating separation of their parents.
(Year 1940) His mother being very delicate with her health, young Juan begins interpretating ditties to be able to buy the medicine for his mother with his earnings, while continuing selling sacks to customers of his father, this time on his own.
"Who would have thought that those hardships and sufferings were the boost to start in what would be the future of a brilliant career"
Between his sixteenth and seventeenth years of age he receives the heartbreaking news of his mother death due to cancer. With shiny eyes he remembered that day when he was mourning the death of the person he loved the most and the gate keeper of his neighborhood aproched to him and said "boy your mother died already, now you have to move on".
In the military service, he developed his function as the General`s chofer who gave him instructions to feed Fifi, dog that belonged to the wife of the superior mentioned above.
"He always said in a funny tone, that within his duties as the General`s driver, were to feed Fifi, whose menu included, fine custards that he ate before it reached the dog`s bowl."
Concluding the military service he continued to sing in different scenarios. He lived for a year in the neighboring land of Portugal.