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 Hispanic artist to reach number one on the Hot Country Songs charts. 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.