Lito Castro was born and raised in a small village in the Philippines. When he was fourteen years old, his father inspired him to play guitar.

“We didn’t have a music store in our little village,” writes Lito. “My neighbor had a homemade guitar with five strings on it. The strings were made of nylon fishing line with a hand-made bamboo tuner.  That’s where I learned to play; nobody taught me, and I didn’t have any material to learn except myself.”

Lito was inspired by the music of Old Pilipino Song (OPM), the Beatles, and Latin music. His style is reflective of “Harana,” a traditional Pilipino musical serenading courtship tradition where a man plays guitar under the window of a woman he admires. “It influenced my music a lot,” he says.

In the early 70’s Lito had a band in the Bay area near San José performing in clubs and parties before moving to Washington state. Lito lists performing at cultural events and volunteering as some highlights of his career, including places like the Seattle Center, Edmonds Arts Festival, and PorchFest.

“As long as I’m able to perform, I will continue volunteering and performing to support our community, to make this world a better place to live.”