Chucho Avellanet
| Chucho Avellanet | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Armando Hipólito Avellanet González August 13, 1941 Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
| Occupation | singer, actor |
| Relatives | Robert Avellanet (nephew) |
Armando Hipólito Avellanet González (born August 13, 1941 in Mayagüez), nicknamed "Chucho" (from the Basque Txutxo), is a Spanish Puerto Rican singer and comedic actor.
Avellanet was born in Mayagüez. Avellanet is of Spanish, Catalan, and Italian descent, his grandfather being an Italian immigrant by the name of Pietro Nuccio.
Before becoming famous, he had been performing across Puerto Rico's western coast with various musical trios, particularly with the Trio Los Duendes. He was regarded as having a powerful voice, but was too shy to occupy a solo spot in any of the groups he performed with. In fact, Avellanet claimed, he felt better suited to performing comedy, and he did comic sketches at a few high school functions. After he returned from a stint with the Army National Guard in North Carolina he was discovered by Cuban-born television promoter Gaspar Pumarejo, who immediately introduced him to the Puerto Rico television audience.
His career formally started during the week of 23–28 May 1961, when he was featured daily on Pumarejo's show. His first formal live performance was opening for Myrta Silva at a Puerto Rican music review regularly staged at the Tropicoro Room of El San Juan Hotel in Carolina, Puerto Rico now the Wyndham El San Juan Hotel & Casino. He took voice lessons from Puerto Rican soprano Rina de Toledo.
Avellanet achieved teen-idol status in Puerto Rico during the 1960s, as a member of the Nueva Ola pop music movement. Helped by Alfred D. Herger, he was a member of a group of teen sensations that included Lissette Alvarez (to whom Avellanet got married), Lucecita Benítez, Yolandita Monge, Ednita Nazario and Charlie Robles, among others. Such was his popularity that he was booked to do three shows on New Year's Eve 1961 and New Year's Day 1962. With La Nueva Ola, he recorded his first album, titled Fugitiva. His first hit was a Spanish version of Marty Robbins' Devil Woman loosely translated by Herger under the title Magia Blanca (White Magic). He later had his first major international hit with another song adapted to Spanish, a version of pop standard I Can't Stop Loving You titled Jamás te olvidaré (I Will Never Forget You).
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