Rita's Rambling Road

Editor’s Note: For more than a year now, I have been sharing some of my past writings about Ricky Martin’s career history. However, today, I wanted to share former Menudo member Charlie Masso’s entertainment journey with my readers. Well, part of it. Charlie has accomplished so much that this is just Part One of my writings regarding his career. In the future, I plan to post more about his and other former Menudo members’ accomplishments.

Charlie is the ideal former Menudo member to begin with, as he was always my favorite and, in my opinion, remains one of the most talented singers to emerge from the group. Like my Ricky Martin posts, this piece draws from articles I wrote or edited for past newsletters, including “Celebrate ‘98,” the one-time publication dedicated to El Reencuentro, the six former Menudo members who reunited for the group’s 20th anniversary. I was fortunate to interview Charlie in the summer of 1998 for that newsletter and have included a couple of his quotes in this post.

Charlie Rivera Masso’s journey has been an eclectic trip through entertainment. A former member of Menudo, the merengue group KAOS, and El Reencuentro, Charlie is also an accomplished solo singer and actor who has appeared in television shows, movies, and stage productions.

Charlie spent five years with Menudo (1982-1987), during which he recorded numerous albums and appeared in commercials, television shows, a novela, and a movie, Una aventura llamada Menudo, alongside his fellow bandmates. Some of the group’s most iconic songs, such as Oh, Coqui, Piel de manzana, Todo va bien, and Acercate, feature Charlie on lead vocals.

His first solo career venture after leaving the group at the beginning of January 1987 involved a stay in Panama, where he appeared in the Spanish-language version of the stage production Brighton Beach Memoirs. Charlie found success as an actor, but his love for Menudo and singing endured. After Robby Rosa (now Draco Rosa) left the group prematurely in May of 1987, Charlie returned as a special guest star on the Summer in the Streets concert tour, which traveled through the United States and Mexico. Later that year, he stepped in again when his replacement, Ralphy Rodriguez, also unexpectedly departed.

Soon, Charlie returned to his own career and, at the beginning of 1988, released his first solo Spanish-language album, Charlie Masso. Music remained a constant in his life, and in late 1988, he released an English-language album in the Philippines titled Charlie Masso, New York. In 1989, he presented his second Spanish-language album, Sin ti. His record company, Melody Records, also invited him to work on a few compilation albums. He sang Tiempo de miel y de rosas on the album Nos vamos a vacaciones, Trepa trepa on Nueva Navidad, and Solamente una vez on Canciones de Lara. A few years later, in 1994, he released another solo album, Inevitable, on the Sony Discos label.

Charlie has always felt a strong attraction to acting, too. His resume includes novelas from Puerto Rico and Mexico. In the late 80s, he appeared in Cuando llega el amor with singer and actress Lucero. The most popular novela that Charlie worked on, however, was Muchachitas, in which he played a cop who goes undercover at a local university. This novela became extremely popular in the Americas and was rebroadcast on Spanish television in 1998.

Furthermore, the entertainer is also no stranger to the theater. Besides Panama’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, Charlie has appeared in plays in Mexico and Puerto Rico. His roles have been so diverse that he even played a tree in the environmental play Que planton.

He has also graced the full screen. Over the years, he had a few roles in movies, including in 1994, when he played the hero in Besame, which he co-starred with Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio.

Reflecting on his versatile experiences, when I interviewed him in 1998, he said, “I’m kind of a guy who does it all, but I consider it a preparation for something that is coming up that I don’t exactly know right now what it is, but I am sure all of this is necessary for that.”

By 1996, after years in Mexico, Charlie returned to Puerto Rico. There, he appeared in the miniseries La Senorita Ana. Later that year, he surprised many by joining the merengue group KAOS. Charlie recorded two albums, Aqui esta KAOS lo mas !Encendios! and KAOS 98. However, after the release of KAOS 98, Charlie decided to dedicate his time to El Reencuentro when enthusiasm began to grow at the end of 1997 ahead of Menudo’s 20th anniversary. At first, Charlie was too occupied to notice or take part in the various press activities, even as his fellow former Menudo members were already appearing in magazines and on radio shows.

When former Menudo member Ray Reyes called Charlie to invite him to participate in the reunion with himself, Rene Farrait, Miguel Cancel, Ricky Melendez and Johnny Lozada, Charlie thought it was a good idea and promised to call Ray back. Although Charlie put off calling, his former bandmate was persistent. Ray kept reaching out until Charlie confirmed. Charlie explained that people get busy with life and think it’s crazy to drop everything. However, when he asked Ray why they should do the reunion and Ray replied, “fun,” Charlie couldn’t refuse.

“I do things for fun,” he said back in 1998. “The best way to make a living is having fun.”

To the delight of Menudo fans, Charlie joined El Reencuentro, becoming part of the magic and family once again.

What amazed Charlie most about the whole concept of El Reencuentro was what he described as living “in the magic.” He never imagined performing the iconic songs and dances again. When asked for his thoughts, he likened the experience to something on a higher, unexplainable level.

“I think the magic never went away,” he said. “It was always there — the audience. The reason why they have been waiting for so many years is because we have something to do together. It’s kind of a mission. It’s kind of a karma. It’s kind of a karma stuff. It’s kind of a cosmic energy. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it is something that all of us are doing because it goes further than a show. It goes further than money, I don’t know, further than record sales. It’s personal. It’s important for our prayer, our spirits. That’s the reason why we’re here. Maybe that’s the key of all the magic. Because it also became important for all the fans.”

Over the years, Charlie participated in several El Reencuentro concerts, Menudo reunion shows, and achieved further solo success. In a future post, I’ll share more about the years leading up to 2026, which I look forward to sharing with all of you in the near future..