Early Life
Santiago was born in the Santurce district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In his younger years Santiago lived between the Bólivar and Sánchez streets in the Parada 22 area of Santurce. At the age of 13, Santiago and his family moved to the Nemesio Canales public housing project where he was eventually nicknamed "El Grifo de Canales" ("The kinky-haired, fair-skinned-one of Canales") by close friends and fans. Santiago was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age.
During his youth, Santiago would participate in jam sessions in his neighborhood as well as in school. His first professional job as a singer was in 1966 with Roberto Valdés group "Los Trotamundos".
Read more about this topic: Marvin Santiago
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