Yomo Toro

Víctor Guillermo "Yomo" Toro (26 July 1933 – 30 June 2012) was a Puerto Rican left-handed guitarist and cuatro player. Known internationally as "The King of the Cuatro," Toro recorded over 150 albums throughout a 60-year career and worked extensively with Cuban legends Arsenio Rodríguez and Alfonso "El Panameño" Joseph; salsa artists Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe and Rubén Blades; and artists from other music genres including Frankie Cutlass, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt and David Byrne.

Early years Victor Guillermo Toro was born in Ensenada, within the municipality of Guánica, near the southwestern corner of Puerto Rico. His father, Alberto, drove a truck for the sugarcane mills of the South Porto Rican Sugar Company and played cuatro in a band along with Yomo Toro's uncles.

Nicknamed "Yomo" by his father, Toro began to play music at age 6.

At age 15, Toro formed the string trio La Bandita de la Escuela ("The Little School Band"). He continued his musical career by performing at events with La Bandita and other trios, all over the island of Puerto Rico, as well as on the radio program La Montaña Canta (The Mountain Sings).

For orchestration and song structure, Yomo Toro often used the bomba format. For rhythm and instrumentation, he made heavy use of the traditional Barril de bomba – a Puerto Rican drum with African origins – and Toro improvised spiraling cuatro solos over the bomba rhythms. Yomo Toro covered two famous compositions titled "Fuikiti" and "Una Pena En La Navidad" by Miguel Poventud copyrighted by Peer and covered on Fania recordings of Yomo Toro performances in Albums "Celebremos Navidad" and "Herencia"

He was hired to play on a Christmas-themed salsa record by Willie Colón called Asalto Navideño ("Christmas Assault") which included several of Toro's aguinaldos and songs from the Puerto Rican parranda, or caroling, tradition. Asalto Navideño became one of the most successful releases for Fania Records, and its fame solidified the cuatro's role in the salsa scene.

Toro crossed over to many other genres and recorded songs with Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt and David Byrne.

Television career During the late 60s and early 70s, Toro hosted the "Yomo Toro Show." It aired on Channel 41 in New York (later known as Univision) and featured Yomo Toro's music, plus entertainment news and interviews of Latin celebrities.

Later years Yomo Toro was a member of the Toro family of Ensenada, Guanica. He died of kidney failure in Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York, on 30 June 2012. He was buried at Saint Michaels Cemetery in East Elmhurst, Queens

Yomo Toro was survived by his wife Minerva, his daughter Denise, his sisters Mirza, Iris, Gloria, Lydia and Milagros Toro; his brothers, Juan, Angel and Arcangel Toro; five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Recorded works Yomo Toro performed on hundreds of albums throughout his 60-year career. He also released over 20 solo albums on major record labels including Island Records, Fania Records, and Polygram. The following are some of his better-known recordings.Asalto Navideño (Fania, 1972)Los Rivereños Cuando Mexico Canta con Yomo Toro y su Conjunto (SEECO – Gold series – SCLP-9255) (SEECO 27.342 | Discophon)Funky Jibaro (Island, 1988)Gracias (Mango, 1990)Las Manos de Oro (Xenophile Records, 1995)Celebremos Navidad (Protel, 1996)Celebrando Navidad (Ashe Records, 1999)Romantico (1999)Musica Para El Mundo Entero (Fania Records Barbaro Vinyl Lp 99.598 (1982) Cd Reissued (2000)Alma de Ramito (Fania, 2000)El Espíritu Jíbaro (The Jibaro Spirit), with Roswell Rudd (Sunnyside Records, 2007)24 Canciones Inolvidables de R. Hernandez (Combo, 2008)La Herencia'' (Fania, 2008)