Yomo Toro

Born in Ensenada, Puerto Rico as the son of an amateur guitarist, Yomo Toro grew to have a five-decade career as one of New York City's best respected Latin musicians. Toro's instrument of choice was the cuatro, which is a Puerto Rican 10-string guitar-like instrument descended from the Spanish Vilhuela. After first landing in New York in 1953 with his band, Los 4 Aces, he embarked on a series of tours of the Caribbean, finally settling for good in the Tremont section of the Bronx in 1956. He played with Trio Los Panchos in the early '60s and recorded four albums with them, including one featuring Eydie Gormé. Soon after that he began recording with the legendary Fania label, eventually joining their world-famous house band, The Fania All-stars. During the late '60s and early '70s he hosted a tv show called the Yomo Toro Show on New York's Channel 41. The show, which featured interviews and entertainment from a host of Latin personalities, was on for seven years. 1969 was an especially fruitful year for Toro at that time, when he recorded Tribute to Arsenio with the Larry Harlow Orchestra -- an incredibly influential salsa album. He also got to hook up with some legends in 1970 when he recorded the classic Asalto Navideño with Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, combining the new sounds of New York salsa with traditional Puerto Rican Christmas music. The album was one of Fania's best-selling of all time.

Read More