Carl Purita

Carlos Fernando José Purita Ortega (born November 4, 1962) is a Cuban-American singer and songwriter. He first gained fame as the vocalist and bassist of thrash metal band Headache, one of the main thrash metal bands to originate from the East Coast.

He released a hardcore punk solo album, Carl Purita & His Delirious Fantasies, in 1993. Nine years later, Purita signed to as a country music singer, releasing the album This is Americana in 2002. Its first single, "Just A Poser Outlaw", made him the first Cuban-American artist to reach number one on the Hot Country Songs charts, and one of a few Hispanic artists to do so. It was followed by two more number one singles, "Off the Rails" and "Lemon Tree", as well as the number four hit "This is Americana". He was nominated for the Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year in 2003. His second country album, East Harlem NYC, 1965, was released in 2005. It included the number one singles "Don't Bother Saying Goodbye", "Woah" and "The New Style of Love". His third country album, Guilty Pleasure, was released in 2008 and contained the number one single "Woken Up". Despite this change in career, he remains a member of Headache.

Early life
Carlos Fernando José Purita Ortega was born on November 4, 1962 in,. When he was 2, his family didn't return to Cuba after a state-approved stay in to visit relatives, and instead went to. He grew up in,. Purita has said that his father was never around, and he saw him only before church on Sundays. Purita had a traditional Cuban-American upbringing, and was raised Catholic. His family attended church every Sunday and was economically poor, and at one point, the entire family was living in a bungalow on 116th Street.

2002-2005: This is Americana
In early 2002, Purita signed to to begin a career in country music. Purita had been a fan of country music and southern rock in his childhood, and always wanted to record country music when he had the chance. His first solo single, "Just A Poser Outlaw" (co-written by Holmlund and Lundvall) debuted at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in June. It is the first single from his second album, This is Americana, which was produced by. The single reached number one in August, making Purita the first solo, Cuban-American artist to chart a number one country hit.