Biography All Music GuideWikipedia
All Music Guide:
Guitarist/singer Johnny Albino was born Juan Antonio Albino on December 19, 1917, in Guayama, Puerto Rico. It was during a stint with the U.S. Army in World War II that Albino began to pursue music, forming a quartet and singing U.S.O.-sponsored events for fellow servicemen. By the late '40s, Albino had relocated to New York City, where he performed regularly as part of the San Juan Trio (which also included members Jaime Gozilez, first guitar, and José Ramón Ortiz, second voice). The group's up-tempo Latin stylings proved to be a hit with audiences worldwide, as they soon began playing around the globe -- the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Russia, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Europe, and Japan. Albino then recorded a pair of albums with vocalist Eydie Gorme, and played with one of Latin music's all-time great bands, Trio Los Panchos from 1958 through 1968, and appeared on TV shows with Johnny Carson and Ed Sullivan, and performed alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Xavier Cugat, Nat "King" Cole, and Steve Lawrence. Albino has appeared on numerous albums over the years, including quite a few solo albums, including such titles as Johnny Albino Y Su Trio, El Magnifico, Consejo de Madre, and La Voz de los Panchos, among others.
Wikipedia:
Johnny Albino (December 19, 1919 – May 7, 2011) was a Puerto Rican bolero singer, born in Yauco.
Biography [edit]
Albino played and sang through his youth years. It wasn't until years later, however, that he would get a chance to sing as part of an organized act. Albino joined the United States Army during World War II, where he formed a quartet and was allowed to sing for his fellow soldiers.
In 1946, Albino performed in a "trio" for the first time. Later on, he would become a member and lead voice of the Trio San Juan, which went on to become an internationally acclaimed group.
Trio San Juan was rivaled at the time by the Trio Los Panchos for popularity. Ironically, Albino later on left "Trio San Juan" and joined "Los Panchos", as the leading voice, replacing another legendary trio singer, Hernando Aviles.
Albino joined "Los Panchos" in 1958 and he remained there until 1968. The group became famous across the world, and Albino toured the United States, Europe and Japan. With "Los Panchos", he recorded to Japanese albums, and he also performed alongside many superstars, such as Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and others.
Albino left "Los Panchos" in the middle of various disputes and internal group problems, culminating in a lawsuit by the management of Los Panchos against Albino for breach of contract, as well as a countersuit by Albino. Part of the settlement agreement consisted of Albino relinquishing all royalties to recordings made by Los Panchos and a stipulation for him never to record or perform any of the group's songs.[1] He then went on to form, or become a member of many famous Puerto Rican trios. Notably, Miguel Poventud whose participation in the album "Los Panchos by Special Request" are a compilation of love songs recorded in English for CBS. "El Trio Los Panchos Historia y Cronica" by Pablo Mareial Ortiz Ramos p. 263. Also, "Grandes Exitos de Johnny Albino con Los Panchos" DHIT 2093.2 21 June 2005 is his main performance with Miguel Poventud on "requinto" (guitar) and voice accompaniment.
His career spanned over 300 albums and CDs. He died on May 7, 2011 in New York from heart failure in a Hospital of Long Island.
