The Chilean folk music group Los Baqueanos was formed in 1950 by guitarists Pedro Leal and Gerardo Ríos and harpist Luis Garrido. After recruiting guitarist Hernán Arenas, Los Baqueanos made their official live debut in Mendoza, Argentina, in 1953 with Mirta Carrasco as their lead vocalist. The group then consolidated its lineup after Carrasco decided to return to Chile and was replaced by Arenas' wife Silvia Infantas. While in Argentina, Silvia Infantas y los Baqueanos performed in venues all over the country and even made a handful of TV and radio appearances, garnering much attention from the press. Upon their return to Chile, the group released its 1955 studio debut, which featured their first hit, the classic waltz "La Batelera." Later that year, they recorded the Vicente Bianchi-penned "Tonadas de Manuel Rodríguez," based on the work of poet Pablo Neruda. The song was the first of many collaborations between the group and Vicente Bianchi, who would later provide orchestral arrangements for Los Baqueanos' 1959 seminal LP Música Para la Historia de Chile, also featuring original texts by Neruda. Silvia Infantas y los Baqueanos dissolved later that year, with Infantas and Arenas forming Silvia Infantas y los Cóndores and Pedro Leal teaming up with Germán del Campo on the folkloric group Dúo Leal-Del Campo.