Global InformationLos Chicos de Puerto Rico information
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Los Chicos de Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Years active | 1978–mid 1980s |
Los Chicos (also known as Los Chicos de Puerto Rico) were a Puerto Rican boy band that was popular in Puerto Rico, South America and in Central America during the early to mid 1980s, which was created to rival Menudo's success.
The band was created by Eric Laboy in 1978, with the name Encuentro. Due to a political campaign slogan, the name was changed to Los Chicos, which translates to The Kids by Mr. Carlos Alfonso Ramirez, who took ownership and managed the boy band. They enjoyed huge success during the early 1980s, under the new management particularly in Puerto Rico South America and Central America. Mr. Alfonso added the following individuals to his management team: Mr. Angelo Medina (Road Manager), Leonor Constanzo (Choreographer), Grace Fontecha (Personal Image Enhancement), Julio Farinacci-Fontecha "Master-Jay" (Audio-Visuals & Computer Technologies) and "Jacquene" (Security/Driver). A movie (Conexión Caribe) was filmed and a TV show hosted weekly on Puerto Rico's WAPA-TV. Many songs, including Puerto Rico son Los Chicos, Vuelve, Ave María, Para Amar[1] and Mamma Mia sung by Jorge Lopez a.k.a. Giro Lopez or Giro became radio favorites, and memorabilia items like posters were mass-produced. Los Chicos became national sponsors for Malta Corona and Mahones Savage (Savage Jeans).[2]
In October 1983, three of the original members, Rey, Migue and Chayanne, quit the group, alleging poor working conditions. Chayanne became a solo artist and released his first album in 1984. Carlos Alfonso took over the new group with original member Hector Antonio "Tony" Ocasio and three new group members (Tico Santana, Alejandro "Casito" Farinacci Fontecha, and Alejandro Rodriguez). However, this version did not have as much of the acceptance from the public as the first group of boys, and finally the band was dissolved. While it never achieved Menudo's level of popularity, it gave them a run for their money in Puerto Rico and Latin American countries, especially Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panamá. During a televised concert in the Dominican Republic, Los Chicos had to abandon the stage because of fans reaching it.[3] In 1990 Tony Ocasio joined the United States Army and was sent to Iraq where he fought at in Operation Desert Storm.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: LOSCHICOSPR (3 January 2014). "Tema: "PARA AMAR" Los chicos de Puerto Rico 1982, Costa Rica" – via YouTube.
- ^ "Ese break comercial y ese espacio en el que Luis Roberto Rigual hace referenc..."
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: radioconnectionu (11 July 2010). "LOS CHICOS DE PUERTO RICO, "VUELVE"" – via YouTube.