The National Day of Tango in Argentina is celebrated on December 11, the birthday of the singer Carlos Gardel (Dec 1887/90 – June 1935). The year of his birth is contested.

Gardel is known as the songbird of Buenos Aires (El Zorzal Criollo), The King of Tango, The Mute (El Mudo), the dark-haired guy from Abasto (El Morocho del Abasto) and affectionately referred to as Carlitos.

In 1917 Gardel recorded the tango Mi Noche Triste (My melancholy/sad night) – lyrics by Pascual Contursi (1888-1932) & music by Samuel Castriota (1890-1932). It became a hit and sold over 100,000 copies. Mi Noche Triste, which was originally tango music called Lita, had a sad story line that reflected the city and the life of the people in it.

Gardel died in a plane crash when he was 35 yeas old and was widely mourned. There is a statue of Gardel in La Chacarita cemetery in Buenos Aires. Admirers often place a lighted cigarette between the statue’s fingers. The Carlos Gardel Museum opened in 2003 in the Balvanera neighbourhood which is sometimes referred to as Abasto in Buenos Aires. From 1893-1984 the Abasto de Buenoes Aires was the central fruit and vegetable market in Buenos Aires. It is now a shopping mall. Gardel lived near Abasto, hence his nickname, the dark-haired guy from Abasto (El Morocho del Abasto), mentioned above.

Information source:
http://www.gardelweb.com/index-english.htm
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Gardel
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abasto_de_Buenos_Aires

Statue:
http://gardelweb.com/gardel-statue-la-chacarita.htm