They called him the "Total Entertainer". At the height of his career, crooner Rico J. Puno was selling long playing records like hotcakes and performing to sold out crowds in big stadiums and little shows alike.
He was the toast of the town with his smooth voice, his devilish charm, and his off-color humor. This was quite the feat, he reckons, since the 70s was a time when original Filipino musical acts were practically non-existent.
“Nung bata pa ko, ang tawag dun sa mga tumutugtog, nagkokombo. Dati ang image nung napupunta sa music, eh walang pupuntahan. Kumbaga, halimbawa, niligawan kita
tapos tinanong ng nanay mo,’Ano ba ang pinagkakaabalahan mo?’‘ Nagkokombo ho ako.’ Eh wala na, sasakalin na niya yung anak niya kasi it’s either nagdu-drugs yun o kaya wala ng pupuntahan, ganun,” he shared with PLAYBOY during an interview at his bar-restaurant, Chico
Rico, in Makati and with an opening statement like that, it’s clear that the man has not lost his cheeky wit.
“I finally realized the reason why ganun, eh wala pang indsutriya ng Pinoy music at wala pang naging successful na Pinoy na naging singer,” he continued. “My decision to pursue singing and make it as a profession is because of my mother’s accusation. Tuwing
gabi, susunduin ako nun doon sa kabilang dayo namin, dun ako nagpa- practice eh. Naku, talagang pinipilit ako nun, ‘Walang mangyayari sayo diyan.Wala kang mapupuntahan diyan.’”
Little did she know that her son was on the brink of breaking barriers and setting milestones. Puno became a part, if not the frontrunner, of a group of Filipino musicians that brought so-called Manila Sound to the music scene. A precursor to more modern OPM, Manila Sound is a genre characterized by its earthy, laid-back sounds and unique vocals and by using a mixture of both Tagalog and English language in its lyrics. Puno is credited for being the first singer to do so with his first big hit, The Way We Were. “Never nag come up sa mind ko na I will be a successful singer. Unang una, wala pang singer nun eh. Ang mga sikat nung mga panahon na yun, well, yung local na hindi tinutugtog sa FM. Meron na like sina Victor Wood ... pero yung totally na original, wala, wala pa,” he shared.
“But, you know, it’s good that I went to college. Napaka-importante na you go to school because you can never be successful, sa tingin ko, ha, if you don’t have an education. You might be a big star today but without the proper education, talagang hindi ka makaka-ungos kasi you need a lot of interaction, thinking and ambition. Kailangan dreamer ka,” he advocated, giving us a glimpse of the man who spent almost 10 years of his life in public service.
Full article appeared in Playboy Philippines magazine September 2013. Photo by Owen Reyes.
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