Pacho Alonso

b. Pascasio Alonso, 22 August 1928, Santiago, Cuba, d. 27 August 1982, Havana, Cuba. Born into a large and poor family, Alonso took to music from a very early age and swiftly became noted for his singing. His father was a photographer and his mother played piano. From 1945, although studying to be a teacher, he was heard on radio, chiefly on Santiago's CMKW but also briefly from Havana, singing with bands such as Pancho Portuondo and Chepín-Chovén. At the start of the 50s, Alonso sang with Mariano Mercerón's orchestra, as did Fernando Alvarez and Beny Moré. Soon, Alonso formed...