There's a great deal of history between then and now. In the
80's, Cerrito moved to L.A. where he met Dotty West (on tour) and they became fast
friends. Just as Dotty had him convinced to go to Nashville, he found that the Spanish
born singer, Charo was auditioning acts for her show... the clincher was, they had to
speak Spanish. Cerrito said it wasn't a long leap from Italian to Spanish so he worked on
it and got the job, which lasted for 3 years in Vegas. From there, Cerrito headlined his
own show in San Antonio, TX where he soon became a favorite with both English and Spanish
speaking fans. "Great artists such as Freddie Fender, Johnny Rodriquez and more
recently, Rick Trevino have successfully touched on the bi-lingual market with a few of
their records," notes Cerrito. "I see myself as the first 'bridge artist'
consistently dedicated to really bringing both markets together."
While Cerrito is listed as a traditional country singer... and
in all fairness, he does sing traditional songs, his sound is more crossover than
traditional. That's not always a bad thing... especially when it garners you the attention
of the CMA who hired Cerrito to be the flagship artist at the first "Fiesta
Nashville" concert staged at Fan Fair in 2001. In 2003, Cerrito was nominated as
"Crossover Artist of the Year" by New Music Weekly along with Faith Hill, Creed
and LeAnn Rimes.
That brings us up to the here and now... With that said,
I'm happy to present you with Cerrito's first CD, "Love Me Forever Today". Each
song is a combination of Tex-Mex and country pours out of him as richly and smoothly as
wine into a glass... and just as intoxicating.
There's a great mix of songs from the old standards like Hank
William's, "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You") and Eddy Arnold's,
"I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)". Then we wind the
clock ahead to "Table For Two" by Vince Gill and Max D. Barnes. Spread it out a
little more and you'll find "Conga" written by Carole King, Gerry Gatlin, and
Jack Heller. Hold on to your seats... there's so much more! How about a duet with Janie
Frickie on "Stranger" written by the great, Kris Kristofferson? It's there! Not
to mention two songs co-written by Cerrito; "Johnny's Song with Felipe de La Rosa..
I dare you to hear this song and not shed a tear or at the very least feel the hair
rising on your arms from the chills it causes. The other song written with Philip Russell,
"Adios Mi Vida, Adios" melds from Spanish into English and back again... simply
beautiful! Bottom line, this album is packed with 12 songs sung by a versatile new artist
whose name I doubt you'll soon forget... CERRITO... you'll love him "forever
today", tomorrow and always.
© Marlene Slater (Marli)
My Kind of Country
9-21-04
More news about Cerrito and his album. He has eagerly
granted permission to post "Johnny's Song" in full length on the front page of
the Child Alert Foundation. Visit CAF and you'll
not only hear the song in full, but learn about the all too true and too sad story behind
the song.
Cerrito, Muchas gracious for having such a kind heart
and for sharing it others. Vaya Con Dios, Mi Amigo, Siempre...
Tu Amiga, Marli
