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

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Early years

Lara (birth name: Agustín Enrique Lara Olivencia was born in

Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Río Piedras is a populous district of San Juan, and former town and municipality of Puerto Rico, which was merged with the municipality of San Juan in 1951. The district today is composed of various '' barrios'' (these are the primary legal div ...

. Lara was raised by his maternal grandmother and received

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

in Santurce. During his spare time, he taught himself to play the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

. 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 Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

, 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 The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

.Tito Lara
/ref>

Trío Los Lirios

In 1948, Lara and eleven fellow students created an ensemble with Lara as

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

. In 1949, Lara formed a trio called ''Trío Los Lirios'' which became a regular guest on the WKAQ radio station. They were paid 2

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s per appearance.

Recording debut

Lara enrolled at the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

to study

Liberal Arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

and joined the university's

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

. In 1950, the owner of Mardí Records heard and was impressed by Lara's singing and asked him to form a

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

including a female voice. Lara did so, was signed by Mardí Records and

dropped out Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Canada In Canada, most ind ...

of college in 1953 to travel with the quartet to New York City. Lara also went solo in 1953 and scored a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

with a recording of the

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

''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 Myrta Silva (September 11, 1927 – December 2, 1987) was a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and television producer who was known affectionately as "La Gorda de Oro". She rose to fame in 1949 as the lead vocalist for the Cuban ensemble Sonora ...

introduced him as "El Pollo que Canta" ('The Handsome Singer').Musica de Puerto Rico
/ref>

Los Hispanos

In 1955, Lara joined one of Puerto Rico's renowned quartets '' Los Hispanos'' and made his television

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with them and singers, Ida Claudio, and Sonia Noemí on "''El Show Ford"'', broadcast by

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, the television station owned and operated by Ángel Ramos. His extraordinary vocal range allowed him to replace any of the members of Los Hispanos when one of them was unable to perform. On January 11, 1965, the group began a seven-year participation in the televised part of the ''Festival Sultana'', a show produced by

Paquito Cordero Paquito Cordero (October 16, 1932 – June 30, 2009), was a pioneer of Puerto Rican television. He was also a comedian and a musical and television producer. Early years Cordero (birth name: Francisco Cordero Baez) was born to Francisco Co ...

. Lara and ''Los Hispanos'' travelled and performed in the United States, the

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and

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. Lara enrolled in the Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico and in 1970 earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

, specializing in trumpet-playing. He formed a duo with María Esther Ortiz called ''Los Dos'' and also founded the ''Allegro 72'' group, which, among others, included

Luis Antonio Cosme Luis Antonio Cosme is a Puerto Rican television cook, actor, singer, musician, writer, producer, reporter and show host. He is mostly known as one of two show hosts and cooks, usually alongside Otilio Warrington, "Bizcocho", of two television coo ...

. Lara performed with ''Allegro 72'' at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

, New York, and at various television stations. Some members of ''Allegro 72'' who went on to gain fame were

Lunna Lunna (born June 30, 1960; born María Socorro García de la NocedaGarcia de la Noceda is her paternal surname) is a Puerto Rican singer of popular music and jazz who was the director of the television show ''Objetivo Fama'', the Latin version ...

, Ángel "Cucco" Peña, Dagmar Rivera and Alyce Gracia.

Later years

Lara began to have problems with his health in 1978, suffering a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

which was complicated by his

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. In 1979, he underwent an

open-heart surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to corr ...

procedure from which he recuperated and shortly after returned to Puerto Rico. There he underwent

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

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and joined a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

church. After his conversion, he continued singing sacred music almost exclusively, collaborating with singers such as the magnificent mezzo-soprano Maribel Soto, recording with her a Spanish adaptation of Sandi Patty's "More than Wonderful" ("Maravilloso es"); singing in a choir put together by Wisón Torres, Jr. and Leyda E. Colón, founders and directors of the Puerto Rican Christian music group Peregrinos y Extranjeros, for the CD "Buscando aquella ciudad" ("Looking for that city") (Pilgrim Music), and recording two beautiful projects as a soloist. The first one was titled "Él" ("He"); the second one: "Señor Amigo" ("My Lord, my friend"). Most of the lyrics of his sacred songs talked about grace, eternal live, hope, and love for his Lord, Jesus Christ. When visiting churches to sing live or presenting concerts, he always said: ''"I sing happily because I believe in the words I sing"''. His version in Spanish of the

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

hit I Believe, titled "Tengo Fe", became his signature song. He also participated in "Noche de Gala", a musical variety show hosted by T.V. personality Eddie Miró, for the celebration of Easter, singing the famous duet with Maribel Soto. In 1985, Lara participated in the ''Concierto de Navidad'' (

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

Concert) held at the "Luis A. Ferré Center for the Performing Arts" in San Juan. In 1986, he held concerts in the

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts was an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit performing arts organization located on the campus of Brooklyn College, founded in 1954. Brooklyn Center presented multi-disciplinary arts performances and coordinated on ...

and at the Hostos Center of Culture in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. That year he also recorded his last album, ''Los Cuatro Ases'' (''The Four Aces'').

Personal life

Lara was married to Nilda Maria Canino from 1953 to his death. In addition to his wife, he was survived by his three children.

Discography

* ''Sollozo'' ('Crying') (1953) * ''Orquídeas'' ('Orchids') * ''Canciones de Los Cuatro Ases'' ('Song of the Four Aces') * ''Lo que hay que hacer'' ('What You Must Do') (1958) * ''No quiero ser tu amante'' ('I Do Not Want To Be Your Lover') * ''Un nuevo ídolo para América'' ('A New Idol for America') (1959) * ''Mi versión'' ('My Version') * ''La vida mía'' ('My Life') * ''Vivo sin ti'' ('I Live Without You') * ''Imágenes'' * ''Niebla de Riachuelo'' ('Bolero, Duet Album with Maria E. Ortiz') * ''Tito Lara canta «Dos amores»'' (1962) * ''Miedo'' ('Scared') * ''Un poquito de tu amor'' ('A Little of your Love') * ''Quisiera'' ('I Wish') (1966) * ''Egoísmo'' * ''Ansiedad'' ('Anxiety') * ''En ruinas'' ('In Ruins') * ''Allegro 72'' (1973) * ''El (He) * ''Señor Amigo (My Lord, my friend) * ''Los Cuatro Ases'' ('The Four Aces') (1986)

Death

In March 1987, Lara suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

and was hospitalized at the West Houston Medical Center in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. He died on June 23, 1987, aged 54, and was laid to rest in

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under ...

Old San Juan Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the Isleta de San Juan, islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, Catedral, Ma ...