Totoy Bato (singer)

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Totoy Bato
BornRodolfo Razon Laxamana
1944 (1944)
Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
Died2021 (aged 76–77)
Porac, Pampanga
Occupation Folk singer
Language Kapampangan
GenrePolosa
Years active1972–2017

Rodolfo Razon Laxamana (1944–2021), professionally known as Totoy Bato, was a Filipino folk singer. Born in Angeles City, Pampanga, Laxamana started writing Kapampangan songs in the 1970s and recorded dozens of CDs. His polosa (folk songs) such as "40 Days" (1972) are popular among Kapampangans, and he is considered the quintessential polosador.

Contents

Life

Rodolfo Razon Laxamana was born in Angeles City, Pampanga, [1] [2] in 1944. [a] Poverty ended his schooling by the sixth grade, and he worked as a gasoline boy and drove jeepneys and trucks to make ends meet. [2]

Listening to artists and poets such as Jose Gallardo  [ pam ] over the radio, Laxamana learnt how to write his own rhymes. [2] He was drawn to the polosa, a folk music tradition characterized by extemporaneous singing before an audience, [1] [2] by hearing Maria Sarat of Bacolor. [1] Laxamana began his musical career in the 1970s. [3] His first release, "40 Days" (1972), was about the severe floods which hit Luzon that year, [1] and became his most requested song. [4] Laxamana later took the name Totoy Bato after watching Fernando Poe Jr.'s character in Durugin si Totoy Bato (1979). [2]

Laxamana became a popular polosador in Pampanga. [5] During his post-EDSA heyday, Laxamana recalled getting around 10 clients for campaign jingles every election season. In 1986, Laxamana turned down a contract with Wea Recording. He later regretted the decision and mused on whether he would have received royalties for his work. [1] His polosas were widely distributed and pirated, and were even heard on Betamax recordings by Filipinos in Saudi Arabia. He failed to secure copyright to his songs. [2]

By 2013, Laxamana had recorded and self-produced 30–40 albums. With the rise of modern technology, he attracted fewer politicians and commanded prices of ₱8,000 or higher. He retained a large following in rural areas. [1] In 2017, a stroke put an end to Laxamana's career. [2] [3]

Laxamana died in 2021. [6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Laxamana was 69 in May 2013, [1] and 73 in August 2017, [2] placing his birthdate in 1944.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cardinoza, Gabriel; Orejas, Tonette (May 7, 2013). "This election season: Good for jingle-makers, trike drivers, bad for folk singers, black pig raisers". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Orejas, Tonette (August 13, 2017). "A tribute to 'Totoy Bato' and his novelty songs". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "University pays tribute to iconic folk singer". SunStar Pampanga . July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  4. ↑ Tantingco, Robby (January 14, 2013). "Tantingco: The Music of Kapampangans". SunStar Pampanga . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ Tantingco, Robby, ed. (2019). "Folk Minstrels: The Almost-Extinct Polosa and Basulto Singers of Pampanga" (PDF). Singsing. Angeles City: Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies. p. 98. ISSN   1655-6305 . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Look: Mayor Jaime 'Jing' V. Capil together with Councilor Francis 'Budoy' Tamayo and Mr. Taps Laxamana visited the wake of Mr. Rodolfo 'Totoy Bato' Laxamana". Municipality of Porac . 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
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