Tito Lara

Tito Lara
Birth name	Agustín Enrique Lara Olivencia
Born	December 23, 1932 Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Died	June 23, 1987 Houston, Texas
Genres	Bolero
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Guitar

External audio

You may listen to Tito Lara's "Si Me Preguntan" on YouTube.

Tito Lara (December 23, 1932 – June 23, 1987), was considered by many to be Puerto Rico's first television singing idol.

Lara (birth name: Agustín Enrique Lara Olivencia ) was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Lara was raised by his maternal grandmother and received primary education in Santurce. During his spare time, he taught himself to play the guitar. In 1942, when was only 10 years old, his grandmother realized that her grandson had musical talent and took him to WNEL, the local radio station, where he made his debut. In 1946, Lara enrolled at the Free School of Music in San Juan, where he continued his guitar studies and learned to play the trumpet.

In 1948, Lara and eleven fellow students created an ensemble with Lara as lead singer. In 1949, Lara formed a trio called Trío Los Lirios which became a regular guest on the WKAQ radio station. They were paid 2 American dollars per appearance.

Lara enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico to study Liberal Arts and joined the university's choir. In 1950, the owner of Mardí Records heard and was impressed by Lara's singing and asked him to form a quartet including a female voice. Lara did so, was signed by Mardí Records and dropped out of college in 1953 to travel with the quartet to New York City.

Lara also in 1953 and scored a hit with a recording of the bolero Sollozo ('Crying'), which he followed up with Orquídeas, a Spanish version of Orchids in the Moonlight by Vincent Youmans. That same year he met and married Nilda María Canino with whom he was to have three children, Agustin Jr., María and José Rafael. He returned to New York and performed at the Paramount Theater where Myrta Silva introduced him as "El Pollo que Canta" ('The Handsome Singer').

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Wikipedia