Tony Álvarez (February 25, 1918 – March 19, 2001) was a Cuban singer and television actor and personality in the 1940s and the 1950s. He was born in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. Álvarez had started music early and was the host of the Cuban radio musical program ''Ritmos del Plata''. He met
Olga Chorens
Olga Chorens (7 February 1924 – 22 September 2023) was a Cuban singer and actress. She started music early as young as 11. She gained huge fame after performing in the Cuban radio musical program ''Ritmos del Plata'' hosted by Tony Álvarez. ...
, a Cuban female singer during the broadcast and the duo were a sensation in Cuba known as Olga y Tony and got married. They both played with Orquesta Rió De La Plata.
In 1951, they became co-hosts and co-stars of the popular entertainment show on Televisora CMQ in Cuba. The programme was "El Show de Olga y Tony", a live daily platform with live orchestra made up of renowned artists like Laito Castro on piano, Israel López "Cachao" on bass, Rolando Laserie on percussions. All guests performed live with choir accompaniment whenever necessary. Tony and Olga would also perform various songs during the broadcast.
With the beginning of the Cuban revolution and the arrival of
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
, the couple went into exile in 1963 and lived in
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and later in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. He also worked for some time in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
They are the parents of Cuban singer, songwriter, and record producer
Lissette Álvarez
Lissette Álvarez Chorens, commonly known as Lissette, (born March 10, 1947) is a singer, songwriter, and record producer from Cuba. She is best known for recording a Spanish language-version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 19 ...
, and recording artist and news anchor Olga Alvarez.