28 Facts About Tony Croatto

Hermes Davide Fastino Croatto Martinis, better known as Tony Croatto, was an Italian singer and composer best known for his interpretations of Spanish folkloric songs and music from Puerto Rico.

Hermes Davide Fastino Croatto Martinis was born on 2 March 1940 in Attimis, a comune in the province of Udine, Italy.

Tony Croatto's family moved to the border town of La Paz, Uruguay, when he was nine years old.

At the time, Tony Croatto stated once, he was happy with just singing background and playing guitar, claiming he was rather shy.

Tony Croatto stated once that the group was handpicked by the powers behind the Spanish state television TVE to substitute that year's winners in the Spanish classification round, Michel and Teresa Maria, who were popular Spanish singers of the time.

Tony Croatto and his siblings suspected that this was a disaster waiting to happen.

In 1968, after travelling across South America and spending two years in Venezuela, Tony moved to what would eventually become his adoptive homeland, Puerto Rico, when "Nelly y Tony" were hired by Puerto Rican promoter Alfred D Herger to appear on his popular youth television shows.

Tony Croatto retired from pop music and eventually moved to the United States.

Tony Croatto obliged, and with poet David Ortiz, wrote her number one career-refreshing hit, "Soy De Una Raza Pura" which would be the only song that Lucecita Benitez would claim as her opening song for many years later on.

Tony Croatto found a richness in musical traditions in Puerto Rico that, he claimed, was extremely rare elsewhere in Latin America.

Tony Croatto started singing Puerto Rican folk songs with Nelly, and noticed that their pop treatment of these songs was far more in demand that the pop material they would normally sing together.

Tony Croatto formed the nueva trova musical group, Haciendo Punto en Otro Son, particularly famous for its protest songs.

Tony Croatto recruited Puerto Rican singers Silverio Perez, Josy Latorre, Irvin Garcia, and Nano Cabrera.

Tony Croatto was instrumental in both the musical and technical aspects of the group, not only as singer, guitarist and keyboardist, but as arranger, producer and studio technician.

Tony Croatto founded a record label at the time, named Artomax, which was financed by Chucho Avellanet and producer Tomas Figueroa.

Tony Croatto's co-hosts were comedian Luis Antonio Rivera "Yoyo Boing", Miss Universe 1985 Deborah Carthy Deu and Maria Falcon.

Carthy has stated that Tony Croatto was genuinely interested in researching each program carefully, and became far more knowledgeable about Puerto Rican culture than most of the program's producers, co-hosts and film crew.

Tony Croatto worked in Puerto Rico by remaking old Puerto Rican standards such as the plena standard "La Maquina" and a medley of plenas by Cesar Concepcion, both rearranged as pop songs.

Tony Croatto made an adaptation of "El Cocuy Que Alumbra" from the Venezuelan parranda band Un Solo Pueblo, which was renamed "A Correr Sabana" once set to new lyrics written by salsa composer Tite Curet Alonso.

Curet and Tony Croatto wrote an original song named "Cucubano", which was covered by the Puerto Rican boy band, Menudo.

In 1985, Tony Croatto recorded "El Ninito Jesus", released during the Christmas season, which told about a poor and hungry child, named Jesus, with wornout pants and no shoes, who walked into a house of well-doers begging for attention, while the people in the household rejected him, first euphemistically, then rather openly.

Tony Croatto recorded musical versions of poems and lullabies written by Georgina Lazaro, a Puerto Rican poet whose works were mostly intended for children.

Tony Croatto's first marriage was to Argentine-born telenovela actress Raquel Montero; he had two children with her, telenovela actress Mara and musician Alejandro Croatto, both born in Venezuela; the four moved to Puerto Rico when Croatto's career took off.

Tony Croatto eventually divorced Glorivee and his third marriage was to Lillian Arroyo; they both moved to Carolina, Puerto Rico where they spent his later years.

Tony Croatto identified himself as a Roman Catholic, although he could not fully participate in church given his status as a divorced man.

Tony Croatto initially refused medical treatment, opting for natural treatments instead, expecting his health to eventually improve.

Tony Croatto dictated a letter that was published in local papers to publicly notify his illness and expressing gratitude to the people of Puerto Rico who adopted him as son and patriot.

Tony Croatto was given a state funeral, held at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, where thousands paid their respects and later accompanied the funeral procession to his final resting place in the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in the Old San Juan.