Early Years
Ramito was born in the Bairoa subsection of Caguas (very close to where Bairoa Gym, headquarters for many Puerto Rican prizefighters and boxing champions, stands nowadays); "Caguitas" (Little Caguas) was a boyhood nickname of his, used by his closest friends. He left school in fourth grade ("but an old-time fourth grade at that!", he mentioned whenever asked) to assist his parents, who were parenting twelve other children (including six of their own), and whose thereby economic situation was precarious. His mother had been an amateur singer and improviser and he would sing her favorite songs at the sugar cane fields where he served, first as a water boy and later as a messenger and sugar cane cutter. Regarded as a good singer by his peers, he was already singing for money at the age of thirteen. In 1932 he participated at a local trova singers contest in Caguas. That was the beginning of fame for "Ramito".
Read more about this topic: Florencio Morales Ramos
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