[3] In addition, he with his siblings Violeta, Eduardo and Hilda, they dedicated themselves to singing and carrying out various activities in squares, markets, circuses and various venues to help their family, touring cities such as Chillán and Parral.
[1] After the death of his father Nicanor Parra in 1929, his family went to the capital of Santiago to seek better economic opportunities.
[3] At the age of fourteen, began to consolidate his profession as a guitarist, working as a musician in various circuses, cabarets and clubs in southern Chile.
During these times he worked in various trades such as: burner in the Valparaíso dam, guide, diarero, polisher, transporter of food for a prison inmate, welder, mechanic's assistant, carpenter and owner of a furniture store.
[3] La Negra Ester In September 1957, he arrived for the first time in the Chilean port of San Antonio, where he was hired to sing with the orchestra of the cabaret Luces del Puerto.