Tony's father Vincent was a record collector and exposed the family to many old school Latin classics from artists like Tito Puente, Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Ruben Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria, Joe Cuba, Celia Cruz, Sonora Poncena and many, many more. Tony began collecting 7" records himself and would listen to them for hours memorizing the artist's names, label info, beats and breaks on each. In the mid 70's with the introduction of the 12", Tony's collection started to grow even more. He recalls spinning at his first party at the age of 10."It all started with a few house parties, and then we moved on to church halls and small clubs. My older brother Vincent, Jr. made it all happen for me. He took care of business and I just played my heart out!"His involvement in the industry evolved as time went on. He gigged frequently and got into retail record sales working for various record stores. His impeccable ability to memorize music, artists and label details proved to be a valuable asset for him. He was also a Billboard reporter and assistant record pool director. His cousin, George Rodriguez, was then head of Garden State Record Promotions and exposed Tony to many of the popular clubs. He's played at legendary clubs such as The NY Palladium, Studio 54, Club 1018, The Tunnel, The Limelight, Club 4D and many other smaller venues.
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