In a music scene filled with incredible talent, one standout has always been singer/guitarist, Tony Salazar Jr.
A lifelong Toledoan and Central Catholic graduate, Salazar is one of the most dynamic performers in the area. Whether he’s performing solo or with his band, Letter Rip, you’re always in for an amazing show.
When not performing, Salazar is a manager at Heights Guitars (1724 S. Reynolds), where he makes you feel welcome as soon as you walk in. His knowledge of guitar maintenance and music gear provides a sense of security for every customer.
Recently, Salazar released “Not Good Times”, a collection of songs he recorded circa 2004.
Can you recall your earliest memories of falling in love with music?
I remember hearing MC Hammer’s “2 Legit 2 Quit” through the family stereo when I was about three years old. My parents caught me grooving to MC Hammer, and the rest is history.
My dad was in bands when I was growing up, and I would go to their rehearsals with him and watch. I thought seeing a full band live in person was so cool. My dad had lyric books of songs he would sing with his band. I took one of them, memorized “Miss America” by Styx, and sang it in the car for my parents when I was five or six. I don’t use tablets because I’m still memorizing the words to songs; I guess I’ve been doing that forever.
How did you start playing?
My dad always had instruments around the house. There weren’t a lot of kids in my neighborhood growing up, so I was bored a lot. That’s what led me to playing drums and guitar. My dad also had a 4-track cassette recorder, and that’s what I did my first recordings on.
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My dad got me an electric drum set when I was 11 or 12, and I was hooked. And with electric drums, you can plug it into whatever you’re recording with, so that was easy for me to do. Using my dad’s cassette recorder was my way of listening back and critiquing myself to get better. Always wanted to do it right the first time.
Who are some of your musical influences?
Limp Bizkit, Korn, Slipknot and Godsmack to name a few. Doug Robb (Hoobastank) and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) are some of my biggest singing influences.
I was obsessed with Michael Jackson not only for his music, but as a performer. Everything he did was on purpose, and that always stuck with me.
What was your first live performance?
I was playing with a drummer when we were both 11 years old. A few years later, we formed a band with another guitarist and bassist who were around our age. None of us was the singer when we jammed, but we found a singer who agreed to do a show with us. We booked a show to open for our drummer’s dad’s band, Local Anesthetic.
We booked another gig, but we couldn’t find a singer and the date of the show caught up to us. That’s when I went “I guess I’ll try to sing.” That gig went well, and I was the singer in bands from then on.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I was one of the first employees for the opening of the Huntington Center. Quite possibly the first uniformed suite attendant in Huntington Center history. I have also been to 500+ Mud Hens games.
