Hector Juan Samuel "Tico" Torres (born October 7, 1953) is an American musician, artist, and entrepreneur, best known as the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...

, percussionist, and a songwriter for American rock band

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such qu ...

. In 2018, Torres was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

as a member of Bon Jovi.

Childhood

Hector Juan Samuel Torres was born on October 7, 1953, in New York, and brought up in the Colonia section of

Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional hub for Central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area located within the ...

. His parents, Emma and Héctor, emigrated from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

in 1948. Torres attended John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Iselin.

Music career

Torres was a jazz fan as a youth and studied music with Joe Morello. In 1969, he played drums for the psychedelic rock band Six Feet Under. Before joining Bon Jovi in 1983, Torres had already played live with Joe Cerisano's R-Band aka Silver Condor in the New Jersey Rock circuit, and in the studio with Franke and the Knockouts,

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

and

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

, recording a total of 26 albums with these artists. Torres was also one of the drummers auditioned by

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

in 1980 after original drummer

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...

left the band. Torres was the original drummer for the

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band '' T. Roth and Another Pretty Face'' and played on their 1980 album ''

Face Facts ''Face Facts'' is a 1980 album from glam rock band T. Roth and Another Pretty Face. Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres plays on the album. T. Roth and Another Pretty Face recorded the album in the late 1970s with future Ramones producer Ed Stasium. T ...

''.

Bon Jovi

Torres met Alec John Such while playing with a band called Phantom's Opera and it was this friendship which led to him joining Bon Jovi. When

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

, the lead singer of the band, approached Torres, he was put off by the fact that Jon was 9 years younger than he was. He said it was Jon's charismatic appearance and watching him perform that attracted him to join the band. Torres is primarily a drummer and percussionist, but he sang lead vocals on a song on the box set ''

100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong ''100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong'' is a boxed set released in 2004 on Island Records. A collection of demos and B-sides, it was released to celebrate Bon Jovi's twentieth anniversary and the milestone of the band selling 100 million re ...

'', as well as backing vocals on a couple of the early Bon Jovi tracks, notably "

Born to Be My Baby "Born to Be My Baby" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released on November 24, 1988 as the second single from their fourth studio album ''New Jersey''. It peaked ...

" and "Love for Sale".

Other work

Known as "The Hitman," Torres discovered another talent:

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

. He has exhibited his art since 1994. The successful first show was at the Ambassador Galleries in Soho, New York. Torres is a self-taught painter, who paints expressive pictures which show scenes from everyday life and his life with the band. His painting talent was shown in one of the three videos made for the single "

Who Says You Can't Go Home "Who Says You Can't Go Home" is a song that was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora for American rock band Bon Jovi's ninth album, '' Have a Nice Day'' (2005). The song was produced by John Shanks, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. A duet ...

." Torres also owns a fashion line for babies called Rock Star Baby.

Personal life

Torres and his first wife divorced soon after the formation of Bon Jovi in 1983. In 1996, Torres married Czech-born model Eva Herzigová in Sea Bright, New Jersey. The ceremony was attended by their closest friends and family including

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and the members of Bon Jovi. The band serenaded Eva and her husband with the hit single "Always" during the dance. Their marriage ended two years later. Torres married Maria Alejandra in September 2001, his third marriage and divorced in 2008. They have a son, Hector Alexander, born on January 9, 2004. When the Bon Jovi ''What About Now'' tour reached Mexico on September 10, 2013, Torres experienced severe abdominal pains and was rushed to the hospital with appendicitis. About two weeks later, on September 22, 2013, he was hospitalized a second time for emergency gall bladder surgery. Rich Scanella filled in for him, and Torres returned to the tour in Fresno CA on October 8, 2013. Torres is an avid golfer who frequently participates in the Alfred Dunhill Links Pro-Am in St. Andrews, UK, often playing in a foursome with fellow musician and good friend

Huey Lewis Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many o ...

Discography

Bon Jovi

;Studio albums *''

'' (1984) *'' 7800° Fahrenheit'' (1985) *'' Slippery When Wet'' (1986) *''

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

'' (1988) *'' Keep the Faith'' (1992) *''

These Days These Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''These Days'' (Bon Jovi album), and the title song (see below) ** These Days Tour, a 1995–1996 tour by Bon Jovi in support of the above album * ''These Days'' (Crystal Gayle album), 1980 * ''These D ...

'' (1995) *'' Crush'' (2000) *'' Bounce'' (2002) *'' Have a Nice Day'' (2005) *'' Lost Highway'' (2007) *'' The Circle'' (2009) *'' What About Now'' (2013) *'' Burning Bridges'' (2015) *''

This House Is Not for Sale ''This House Is Not for Sale'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. Released on November 4, 2016, by Island Records. It is their first studio album with Phil X on lead guitar after replacing founding member Richie Sambo ...

'' (2016) *''

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

'' (2020) ;Compilation albums *'' Hard & Hot'' (1991) *'' Cross Road'' (1994) *'' Tokyo Road: Best of Bon Jovi'' (2001) *''

This Left Feels Right ''This Left Feels Right'' is an album featuring new versions of Bon Jovi songs from previous albums. It was released in 2003 and charted at No. 14 on The Billboard 200. It's a "trip down memory lane" as Jon Bon Jovi described the album. It featu ...

'' (2003) *''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (2010) ;Live albums *''

One Wild Night Live 1985-2001 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

'' (2001) *''

Inside Out Inside Out may refer to: *Backwards (disambiguation) or inverse Books * '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason * ''Inside Out'', Christian book by Larry Crabb * ''Inside Out'', novel by Barry Eisler ...

'' (2012) *'' This House Is Not for Sale – Live from the London Palladium'' (2016) ;Box Sets *''

'' (2004)

Richie Sambora

;Studio albums *'' Stranger in This Town'' (1991)

T. Roth and Another Pretty Face

*''

'' (1980)

References

External links

Bon Jovi.com

NPR Jon Bon Jovi profile

Bon Jovi's Webpage at VH1

Ten Classic Bon Jovi Songs
at Unreality Music * *
Tico Torres Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Tico 1953 births 20th-century American drummers American male drummers American people of Cuban descent American rock drummers Bon Jovi members Jersey Shore musicians Living people Musicians from New Jersey Musicians from New York (state) People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey

Childhood

Music career

Bon Jovi

Other work

Personal life

Discography

Bon Jovi

Richie Sambora

T. Roth and Another Pretty Face

See also

References

External links