Oscar Neftalí Sallaberry Valls (Nefty, born March 1, 1964, in Ponce,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

) and Fernando Ramón Sallaberry Valls (born November 25, 1965, in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

), are Puerto Rican (and Fernando also, Spaniard) singers and actors who were part of the original lineup of the band Menudo. Nefti and Fernando are the sons of Santiago Sallaberry, a doctor in oncology.

Nefty

Nefty started with Menudo at age 13, and stayed in the group until he was 15. Nefty graduated in 1986 from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

Computer Sciences Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to applied disciplines (including the design and ...

. He is an Information Technology Officer (ITO) in a company in

Fernando

Fernando started in Menudo at age 12, and was one of the primary voices in the group until he left at age 15. He sang lead vocal on ''Chiquitita'', which became one of Menudo's biggest hits. After he left the group, Fernando became popular as a soloist in

and in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. He suffers from

Neuromuscular disease A neuromuscular disease is any disease affecting the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the neuromuscular junctions, or skeletal muscles, all of which are components of the motor unit. Damage to any of these structures can cause muscle atrophy and we ...

, a rare condition that has no cure. It is difficult for him to move, and he has needed his family's assistance for the last few years. He continues to gain strength and movement, but is confined to a wheelchair.

XCHANGE

In 1987, four of the original five Menudo members, Carlos Melendez, Ricky Melendez, Nefty Sallaberry and Fernando Sallaberry reunited on a project they called: XCHANGE. There was some publicity, and they recorded a few demos (EPs), but were not offered a recording contract. They soon disbanded.

In pop culture

Fernando and Nefty are played by Guisseppe Miguel Agrelot and by Fabricio Andres Broda Braida, respectively, in the 2020 Amazon Prime Video series based on Menudo, " Subete A Mi Moto".

Discography

With Menudo (Nefty Sallaberry)

* ''

Los Fantasmas ''Los Fantasmas'' is the first studio album by the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, released in 1977 by the Padosa record label. It features the original members: brothers Nefty and Fernando Sallaberry and brothers Carlos, Óscar and Ricky Melénd ...

'' (1977) * '' Laura'' (1978)

With Menudo (Fernando Sallaberry)

* ''

'' (1977) * '' Laura'' (1978) * ''

Chiquitita "Chiquitita" ("Little Girl" in Spanish) is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1979 as the first single from '' Voulez-Vous'' (1979), the group's sixth album. Agnetha Fältskog performs the lead vocals. Origin ...

'' (1979) * '' Felicidades!'' (1979) * '' Mas Mucho Mas'' (1980)

Without Menudo (Fernando Sallaberry)

* ''Menudo Presenta A Fernando'' (1982) * ''Fantasia'' (1983) * ''Los Idolos Juventiles 83-Fernando, Rene Farrait, Arturo Vazquez'' (1983) * ''Al Amor O A La Vida'' (1986)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sallaberry, Fernando And Nefty Living people Sibling musical duos Menudo (band) members Singers from Ponce Puerto Rican people of French descent 20th-century Puerto Rican male singers 20th-century Puerto Rican singers Year of birth missing (living people) Puerto Rican male actors