Career
Before becoming famous, he had been performing across Puerto Rico's western coast with various musical trios, particularly with the Trio Los Duendes group. He was regarded as having a powerful voice, but was too shy to occupy a solo spot in any of the groups he performed with. In fact, Avellanet claimed, he felt better suited to perform comedy, and he did comic sketches at a few high school functions. After he returned from a stint at the Army National Guard in North Carolina he was discovered by a Cuban television promoter, Gaspar Pumarejo, who immediately introduced him to the Puerto Rican television world.
His career formally started during the week of 23–28 May 1961, when he was featured daily in Pumarejo's show. His first formal live performance was opening for Myrta Silva at a Puerto Rican music review regularly staged at the Tropicoro Room of El San Juan Hotel in Carolina, Puerto Rico now the Wyndham El San Juan Hotel & Casino. He took voice lessons from Puerto Rican soprano Rina de Toledo.
Avellanet reached teen-idol status in Puerto Rico during the 1960s, as a member of the nueva ola music movement. Helped by Alfred D. Herger, he was a member of a group of teen sensations that included Lissette Alvarez (to whom Avellanet got married), Lucecita Benítez, Yolandita Monge, Ednita Nazario and Charlie Robles, among others. His popularity was such that he managed to do three shows on the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day of 1962. With la nueva ola, he recorded his first album, named Fugitiva. His first hit was a Spanish version of Marty Robbins' Devil Woman loosely translated by Herger, named "Magia Blanca." He later had his first major international hit with another song adapted to Spanish, a version of pop standard I Can't Stop Loving You named "Jamás te olvidaré".
Avellanet later participated in a group of singers named La Juventud Canta. Although not a conventional music group, La Juventud Canta toured all over Latin America, and Avellanet extended his teen-idol status to other countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela, where Avellanet enjoyed a solid teen girl fan base.
Read more about this topic: Chucho Avellanet
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