Anthony remains loyal to his music and to the Marcoses

MANILA, Philippines - Growing older really does something to people. You change your outlook in life; you become bitter or better; you get thinner or fatter; you bloom or you fade. But then again, some things never change.

In the case of debonair balladeer of the ‘70s Anthony Castelo whose reputation as a lady killer has continued to stalk him, Anthony would be the first to admit that it is simply an image and nothing more. If he was said to have strewn wild oats in his youth, there is nothing to prove that. Having spent much of his recent adult life in the US, he left in 1986, returned to the Philippines in 1994 during the term of Fidel Ramos, and left again in 2002. This time he has been away for six years.   

What hasn’t changed is his love for music, and another is his being a Marcos loyalist.

When Vic del Rosario spoke to him in California and broached the idea of a comeback concert, Anthony happily accepted the offer especially when it would reunite him with his friend Jun Polistico and the idol of his youth Victor Wood, all singing the old hit songs that have stayed with them through the years. The retro package has become such a marketable commodity that there are now five performances of the show and possibly more to come.

What’s more, Jun and Anthony have been booked for one night each with Carmen Soriano in Romancing at the Mandarin Captain’s Bar as possibly another exploratory concept. Anthony feels that more gigs could be in the offing since Boss Vic has requested his stay to be extended until the end of March.

At the initial night of The Great Balladeers concert, no one was really surprised when Anthony went down the stage to greet his friend and the godmother of his two children Imelda Romualdez-Marcos. In 1986 after People Power forced the Marcoses to take flight to Hawaii, Anthony and family likewise followed. “We were unofficially but kind of banned by the media,” Anthony recalls. His children were baptized in Hawaii and later went to school there for a while.

To this day, Anthony remains staunch in his convictions. “I am honored that Mrs. Marcos attended the show. I could see that people here still love her and appreciate her contribution as patroness of the arts. Here was a woman who took on the challenge against all odds. She spearheaded and inspired the Philippine cultural revolution; the use of music, dance, the arts as an instrument towards national development.”

The revival mode that has caught the country by storm is putting all the great singers of the past in a performance and nostalgic mood.

Anthony talks of how he started in singing. While studying at the UP, Nonon Pedero formed a harmony group, the Gentle Rain with himself, Anthony, Boy Camara, and Rody Picar. We used to sing for campus gigs, but had regular income from Nelda Navarro’s (mom of Leah)  TV show Knock on Wood directed by Heidi Sison, says Anthony. And in the evenings, there would be guestings at Nelda at the Hilton.

After that came the Time Machine band under pianist Emil Mijares, and drummer Jun Regalado. They sang soul, jazz, pop jazz. “We had the best of the best musicians and performed basically at Flames,” recalls Anthony who was joined by Celeste Legaspi from the Ambivalent Crowd. Sonny Nicolas from Moonstrucks (now deceased), Bituin Escalante’s mom Gigi Escalante, and Didith Reyes (recently deceased).

Then came the time to go solo and Anthony was plucked by Del Rosario’s man Friday Vic Jose to prepare him for recording at Vicor. The songs were Of All the Things, an adaptation of Dennis Lambert’s song, and Huwag Kang Lalayo recorded in 1974. Anthony signed a contract with Vicor in 1976, and the initial album was released in 1977 including the two initial songs.

For the next 10 years, Anthony was on top of the world. His unforgettable songs became a vital part of the music vocabulary of that period. Hahanapin Ko, Nang Dahil sa Pag-ibig, Maghihintay Ako sa ‘Yo, Ibig Kong Ibigin Ka, Kaibigan, Balatkayo, Ang Babaing Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang.

An interesting trivia shared by Anthony is that Maghihintay Ako sa ‘Yo written by Baby Girl, was the first recording of Louie Ocampo. “One day, while I was buying guitar strings at Yamaha in Makati, I heard someone playing a beautiful song on the organ. I spoke with him and found out he had composed the song, I asked if he would be interested in giving the song for my album. He said his name was Louie Ocampo, and he was a student. Later, I found out that it was when he saw me in the store that he went and played his song so that I would hear it.”  

It was just unfortunate that Anthony had to leave the country when he did as he may have become bigger than he already was at the time.  

What has changed was his move towards spirituality, spurred on by his buddy Jun Polistico whom he calls his spiritual adviser. Anthony and his family now belong to a Christian church, the Missionary Fellowship in Los Angeles that is very much focused on the Bible. Now that he is in Manila he calls his pastor every Thursday and Sunday prior to the Bible study and service. That is how serious he has become in his spiritual duties.      

In his current involvement in the concert circuit, Anthony finds himself often playing the role of bad boy, contravida to the director and musical director. He gives examples of how he fought for the hit revival of Sharon Cuneta’s Sana’y Wala ng Wakas by Polistico to be given its proper due at the end, when there were suggestions to turn it into a dance number midway the Great Balladeers concert. Similarly, when he noticed that Victor Wood’s Eternally in his entrance would be part of song clips, Anthony again objected, explaining that his fans would like to hear the entire song and even sing along with him. Again, he succeeded.  

Another turn in Anthony’s music career is his predilection toward the writing of patriotic songs. He wrote the song Dakilang Lahi with Tito Sotto for the Philippine Centennial commissioned by Pres. Ramos and Doy Laurel. He also wrote Mabuhay ang Pilipinas which had Martin Nievera, Sharon, Pops Fernandez, Becca Godinez and others participating, and the English version Long Live the Philippines intended for the international audience. Anthony gives credit to Tito Sotto for teaching him how to write.

When 9/11 happened, Anthony was moved to write Long Live America from the original Long Live the Philippines. This was what earned for him an invitation to the White House and an award from then President George Bush.

But for now that the country has rediscovered the old songs, playing them on radio, and using them as themes of teleseryes, Anthony welcomes the turning back of the clock to those happy days when songs were better written and made to pass the test of time.

(E-mail me at [email protected])