Larry Ramos
| Larry Ramos | |
|---|---|
Larry Ramos, with the musical group, The Association, in 1968
Top row, from left: Jim Yester, Brian Cole, Ted Bluechel; bottom row, from left: Russ Giguere, Larry Ramos, Terry Kirkman |
|
| Born |
Hilario Ramos April 19, 1942 Waimea, Kauai County, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | April 30, 2014 (aged 72) Clarkston, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Singer, guitarist, banjo player |
| Spouse(s) | Helene m.1964–2014 (his death) |
| Children | 5 (2 sons, 3 daughters) |
Larry Ramos (born Hilario Ramos; April 19, 1942 – April 30, 2014) was a guitarist, banjo player, and vocalist with the 1960s American pop band The Association. In 1963, he won a Grammy with The New Christy Minstrels.
Ramos, of Filipino descent with a blend of Chinese and Spanish, was born and raised in Waimea, Kauai County, Hawaii. He was born to Larry Ramos, Sr. and Pat Ramos. His father operated pool halls in Honolulu, Kakaako and Kalaheo. Ramos' father taught him how to play the ukulele, learning My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean at the age of 4. He recalled practicing on the floor of the hotel gift shop where his mother worked and sleeping with the instrument so he could wake up and play. He won a local music contest with his sister at the age of 5, and when he was 7, Ramos played ukulele on The Arthur Godfrey Show after winning a statewide ukulele contest organized by Godfrey. That year, he also played ukulele and sang in the 1950 musical romance film Pagan Love Song starring Esther Williams after Arthur Freed heard him playing the song in Hawaii behind the counter at the gift shop where his Mother worked, although his part, singing "The House of Singing Bamboo" was cut in the final edit to shorten the run time.
In the early 1950s, the family moved to Bell, California. At 13, he performed in the national tour of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical The King and I, as understudy (to Patrick Adiarte) in the role of the crown prince of Thailand opposite Yul Brynner. He performed the lead role with Leonard Graves and Patricia Morison in 1955 (when the movie was being filmed) at the Royale Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada. Concerned that his education was inadequate, his mother withdrew him from the tour after a year and he attended Bell High School, then majored in political science at East Los Angeles College and Cerritos College.
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