Chile's Minister of Education, Mariana Alwyn, this month recognised the life-time achievements of 73-year-old vocalist Luis Enrique Gatica Silva, by presenting him with the prestigious Gabriela Mistral Order of Teaching and Cultural Merit Decoration. Better known as 'Lucho Gatica' as he was called by radio announcer Ivan Silva, fifty years ago, the singer cut his first disc of creole tunes with elder brother Artur at the age of 21 at EMI Odeon. Recording with the trio the Pilgrims, Gatica was able to reach national and international stardom with such hits as 'Sincerity' and 'With You into the Distance'. He has recorded more than 90 discs and the awarding of the Gabriela Mistral Decoration puts Lucho Gatica in the company of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and Chilean group Inti Illimani, who are past recipients of the decoration. A media release from the Ministry of Culture on the award outlined Gatica’s contribution to Chilean culture: 'The professional, native of Rancagua, has contributed to the culture and arts of our country, has dedicated a great part of his life to the service of music and has influenced numerous generations of new artists, as much within Chile as outside it... The artistic life of 'Lucho' has been strewn with successes, as well as volumes of sales and musical ranking. His trajectory remains in the popular memory as one of the most significant romantic singers in the second half of the twentieth century.' The award presentation took place on 1 March 2002, at the National Library of Chile.