Tony Medina


Tony Medina was a Cuban-born songwriter and writer of popular literature. He is known for the diversity of his musical compositions, which have been recorded by top Latin music artists like Rocio Jurado, Daniela Romo, and Alicia Villareal. His poetry has been published in literary anthologies.

Career

Medina's professional songwriting career began in December 1992, when "Para Que Te Quedes Conmigo", performed by Mexican superstar Daniela Romo, reached number-one in Billboard Magazine's Hot Latin Tracks Chart. The song remained in the top three chart positions for twelve consecutive weeks and went on to become one of the year's biggest Latin music hits in the United States, Central and South America. In Broadcast Music, Inc's inaugural Latin Music Awards ceremony held in 1993, Medina was honored for writing one of the year's most performed songs.
Shortly after his first hit, Spanish superstar, Rocío Jurado, included Medina's "Yo Te Amo" on her 1993 album "Como Las Alas Al Viento". The late Jurado, widely considered as one of the Latin entertainment world's most respected voices, reached the top of the music charts with "Yo Te Amo" in Europe and Latin America.
Medina's success continued as he wrote a string of popular compositions which quickly established him as a prolific songwriter who became known for his catchy, varied themes, both musically and lyrically. He has written his words and music in many popular musical styles. His ample catalog includes rumba flamencas, ballads, boleros and tangos, and Medina has written songs in the regional Mexican, pop, tropical, and rock music styles. Artists from many nationalities and musical genres have interpreted his songs. The roster of singers interpreting Medina's songs includes performers from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, France, Mexico, Nicaragua, Portugal, Spain, and the U.S.A.
Tony Medina wrote over 600 songs in various musical genres. Among his many television appearances was his participation on the top-rated Mexican talk show, "Ibero America Va", which was hosted by famed actress and talk show icon Verónica Castro.

Notable songs and productions

  • "Para Que Te Quedes Conmigo", Daniela Romo from the album De Mil Colores
  • "Yo Te Amo", Rocío Jurado
  • "Caricias De Humo", Lucía Méndez
  • "Intentare Olvidarte", Los Mier y Yolando del Rio
  • "Un Chance", Maria Sorte
  • "Ay Amor", Grupo Limite/Alicia Villareal
  • "Mundo Magico", Imanol
  • "Me Gusta Todo De Ti", Crystal
  • "Como Decirte Que Te Amo", Banda Copala
  • "Aunque Te Vayas Con El", Emigrantes Del Norte
  • "La Miradita", Chambacu
  • "Te Amare Otra Vez", Azteka
  • "Paloma O Pantera", Maggie Carles
  • "Con Permiso Senora", Milton Cortez
  • "Por Amarte Asi", Rey Ruiz
  • "Tony Medina Classical Music-Volume 1," Various Artists
  • "Tony Medina-Poemas de Amor" Recited by Tony Medina with original music
In addition to the success of his songs discographically, Medina's music has been performed on television, stage, and in movies, and has been dispersed in both Spanish-speaking and non Spanish-speaking countries throughout the world. The 2004 critically acclaimed film "La Niña Santa", incorporates Medina's words and music as dialog in an important scene between two of the movie's protagonists. "The Holy Girl" participated in The Cannes Film Festival and was co-executively produced by the two-time Academy Award-winning Pedro Almódovar. The film has been translated or subtitled into multiple languages.

Literature

Medina was also an accomplished poet and writer of short stories, and his poetry has been published in various literary anthologies. In 1999, four of his poems were selected to be included in "Hagase La Poesia", a literary collection of poems representing the past seventy years in modern Spanish language poetry. The collection was published in Argentina by El Editor Interamericano, and compiled by Argentine literary editor Oscar Abel Ligaluppi.
In 2001, two of Medina's poems were selected for another Argentine literary publication entitled, "Diccionario De Poetas Hispano-Americanos Contemporaneos ",.
In tribute to Medina's creative writing abilities, the publisher Angel Azul, published a book entitled, "Y Que Lo Comente El Pueblo" , which is a collection of over 100 of Medina's poems and four of his short stories.
His first instrumental album entitled "Tony Medina Classical Music-Volume 1," was released by Musihit International in October 2010. The album's 20 songs are performed by various artists and all were composed by Medina. An audio CD of thirty three of Tony Medina's poems was also released by Musihit in October 2010. The poems are recited by Medina and each poem is accompanied by his original background music.

Death

Tony Medina died unexpectedly on June 8, 2011, after suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. The majority of his music catalog remains unpublished.