Ricky Martin’s Menudo Years – 1989

Menudo began 1989 just as they had celebrated prior years, with their traditional Three Kings Day concert in Puerto Rico on January 6.

Although Ruben Gomez couldn’t take part in the concert due to recovering from a nose tumor operation, Ricky Martin, Sergio (Gonzalez) Blass, Angelo Garcia, and Robert Avellanet continued the annual tradition. Once Ruben recovered, the group began touring and performing in places such as Mexico and Venezuela. It was during this time that Menudomania struck once again in Venezuela. Their fans in the country couldn’t get enough of them. So much so that special-edition fan magazines were published dedicated to the group and each member.

However, fans soon had to face the inevitable — the next Menudo to leave would be Ricky. At the beginning of July, Ricky’s farewell concerts were held at Puerto Rico’s Bellas Artes, and his replacement, Rawy Torres, was announced. Midway through the show, Ricky sat alone on stage, reflecting on his time with the group. He had spent five years in Menudo, traveling the world and experiencing events that most young people his age only dreamt about. Ricky traveled to the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He had recorded in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Italian, and on occasions, the group even sang a couple of songs in Japanese and Tagalog. His five years in Menudo were well spent, traveling, singing, acting, and representing the youth of Puerto Rico and the 1980s.

After leaving the group, Ricky enjoyed some well-deserved time at home in Puerto Rico, catching up on everyday life and spending quality moments with family and friends.

Of course, Ricky never forgot his fans. In August of 1989, he traveled to Connecticut and Illinois to attend fun-filled parties with his admirers. In Connecticut, he had a blast swimming, playing on the swings, and hopping on the kiddie roller coaster with fans at a country club. In Illinois, he mingled, danced, and even judged a playful contest where fans sang his Menudo songs. 

Ricky’s time in Menudo set the stage for a bright future he was only beginning to imagine. Years later, in a June 1999 Interview magazine feature with Gloria Estefan, he shared, “That band definitely helped me to keep my feet on the ground in this business. You have to be in touch with yourself, because you can go crazy if you’re not.”

Editor’s Note: In the late 1990s, my friends and I created a newsletter called Ricky’s Fan Central. The publication was dedicated to fans like us who were no longer teens and interested in the latest news and photos of Ricky Martin. We also added updates on former members of Menudo. One feature I loved was a section where I wrote articles about Ricky’s time in Menudo and the early days of his career. I decided to take those flashback articles, edit them and add anything new I’ve learned over the years. In this post, we take a look at the year 1988. Click on the year to read past articles about 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988.