Eulogy for Ray Tico

Ray Tico

   When asked to name a single artist who best exemplifies traditional Costa Rican music, most people will answer, “Ray Tico”. Born Ramon Jacinto Herrera in Limon, Costa Rica in 1928, Ray received his first guitar at the age of seven. Later, he worked as a fisherman in Colombia, where he launched his career as a professional musician. After moving to Cuba in 1953, he was dubbed Ray Tico, a stage nickname that stayed with him throughout the decades. And it was in Cuba in 1956 that he penned the bolero “Eso Es Imposible,” easily the most popular of the fifty-plus songs he wrote. With this newfound notoriety, Ray relocated to the United States, performing often at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and spending considerable time in Hollywood. He was known as something of a Latin playboy, seen often in Las Vegas with members of the Rat Pack - international stars Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. In 1969, Ray Tico returned to Costa Rica, the hometown boy back from conquering America and putting Costa Rican music and culture on the world map. He was forty-one years old. His unique style of playing his guitar, which included using it as a percussion instrument during performances, became one of his trademarks.

   Ray Tico spent the following thirty-eight years writing songs and performing them virtually everywhere and anywhere, including presidential inaugurations in Costa Rica, and basically doing all the things that gained him word-of-mouth legacy. Recently in San Jose, Papaya Music celebrated eighty years of Ray Tico, with Sr. Jacinto performing live with Editus and various members of Malpais, among other notable Costa Rican musicians. Earlier this year, Papaya released “Solo Para Recordar”, a CD of Ray performing a collection of his classic songs.

   Ray Tico passed away at the age of 79 on August 17 in his home in Limon, embracing his guitar. He will be sorely missed. And he will be happily remembered.
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