Rivero was born in the southern Buenos Aires suburb of Valentín Alsina. Joining his father in some of his travels, he was exposed to the lifestyle and the music of the gauchos of Buenos Aires Province from his early days. His maternal great-grandfather, named Lionel, was a British immigrant, and fought against the Pampas tribes in the mid-19th century, being wounded by a spear. From him, Rivero inherited his blond hair and his first name.
In his teens, Rivero's family moved to the
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Belgrano neighborhood, in the days where tango developed as a dancing phenomenon, but also as an ever more complex music form under the "ABC" of composers/directors Arolas, Bardi, and Cobián. At the same time, the themes of tango lyrics evolved from light-hearted ribaldry into more complex stories delving on love and manly honor.
Rivero learned classic guitar and also trained as a singer; he had a deep bass-baritone voice that was one of his trademarks,[1] together with his huge hands (due to his acromegaly) that made him the butt of many jokes.