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Accomplished Colombian Mauricio Camacho lends his talents in both the business and music worlds here in Osceola County. SUBMITTED PHOTO
If you are a native of Colombia living in St. Cloud or Kissimmee, you may run into fellow countryman Mauricio Camacho, an accomplished singer from his homeland, at a couple of unique places.
Camacho runs Handyman Hardware in St. Cloud—that’s the day job. Now he’s found a way to get back to his musical roots, performing Thursday nights from 6:308:30 p.m. at Di Carlo Italian Restaurant on East U.S. Highway 192. The first gig was last week, “It was amazing. It’s a small restaurant, people enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and some of them were even dancing,” he said, noting he had the chance to play a diverse lineup of bechata, merengue, salsa, country, even classic rock.
“I love playing things I like, and I love to have a diverse show,” Camacho said.
In the 1990s, Cali-native Camacho voiced the band Toke De Keda, sensations in Colombia. Their 1992 hit “No Sueltes Mi Mano” (Don’t Let Go of My Hand) instantly became a national hit. A national tour followed, and along with classic salsa groups Grupo Niche, Guayacan and Joe Arroyo, played in front of 20,000 people. Their next album, “AL Filo Del Sol” (At the Edge of the Sun) sparked another national tour in 1993-94.
Those songs made it all the way to the No. 1 spot among radio air play, and No. 9 in the Radio Activa Top 100. “No Sueltes Mi Mano” also reached the top of the “The Best of Our Music” list by TV-Guia Magazine, and was a part of a compilation of the year’s biggest BMG record label hits, appearing alongside selections from Juan Gabriel, Miguel Mateos and Alejandro Lerner.
Currently, the band is wrapping up recording of its new album, with 10 songs, including new single “Ando Buscando Un Beso” (I’m Out Looking for a Kiss) and a re-mastered version of No Sueltes Mi Mano.
After the musical success, Camacho said he came to the States and Denton, Texas, to study music and work in business. He soon returned home and got into the export trade industry, and again toured with the band.
His ex-wife was a commercial pilot, which led them to live in Vietnam for four years. But the pandemic did a number on the airline industry, and he made the business and family choice to go work for business partners in Tampa. The opportunity run a partner’s store in St. Cloud—“I’d heard of Orlando before that, but never St. Cloud,” he said—led him to the hardware store, which earned a 2023 Osceola News-Gazette Best of Osceola readers choice award for Best Hardware Store.
Camacho continued to play private parties to scratch the musical itch. It was at the News Gazette’s awards gala on Oct. 27 that he met up with a manager of Di Carlo Italian, which won the Best Italian Restaurant choice award.
“They had a singer leave and needed someone to play Thursday nights. I was happy to do that,” he said, noting that in his first night playing he was able to satisfy a lot of cultures, from American to Latin.
“A lot of Colombians live in the area, and they ask for my originals. Thursday, there were three people from near my hometown,” he said.
After a year living in St. Cloud, Camacho, 51, said he’s content working at the store, playing music a couple nights a week and raising his 10-year-old daughter.
“Everything is very nearby and the Lakefront is tranquil and peaceful, although people tell me how much it’s grown,” he said. “I’m at peace here. Music has always been a part of my life, and I still get to show my talents. It’s a passion that’s like a hobby that pays some bills.”
