Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio F Delgado.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The road has been winding, but the view has been beautiful.
I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, a big city with a small-town mentality. I never really learned how to speak Spanish, but I lived and breathed the culture of growing up Mexican American in a border town.
Music was always how I passed the time. I played in countless high school bands, went on tour, and made a late entrance into college. After graduating, I wrote down a list of three companies I wanted to work for and moved to Austin to pursue a job at NI. I knocked on their door for six months before they finally let me in.
While working at NI, I began earning my master’s degree in RF communications. About halfway through that journey, I realized I didn’t want to spend my life in a taupe-colored cubicle.
Around that time, I became friends with an artist named Lindsay O’Neal and was dating a writer named Tiffany Lynn Young. One day, Lindsay showed us a painting of a cute cupcake wearing glasses. We started talking about turning it into a children’s book. Thoughts of grandeur guided our steps, and before we knew it, we had created Jump, Little Cake, Jump, a 48-page book with five original songs, a 30-person character reading on CD, and illustrations hand-painted by Lindsay. Each canvas was made from stretched Goodwill bedsheets.
That project led us to perform at local libraries and at Austin’s amazing independent bookstore, BookPeople. One of the songs we wrote for the book, “Shake It Like a Cupcake,” became a real crowd-pleaser.
Tiffany also worked with Gene Davis of The Que Pastas. When they couldn’t make one of their regular shows at Cherrywood Coffeehouse, I filled in. Somewhere along the way, I learned the ropes of entertaining kids and their families. Eventually, a bilingual YouTube show called Curio Ciudad asked us to translate “Shake It Like a Cupcake” into Spanish.
Then I had a child of my own, and I felt a deeper desire to share my culture with him. He was enrolled in a full-immersion Spanish daycare, and suddenly I was the one who needed to keep up.
That was when I officially became Tío Toto.
Since then, I have been selected as a Texas Touring Artist, a milestone I am incredibly proud of. It feels like recognition of the work, the community, and all the winding roads that helped shape Tío Toto.
Today, I write Spanglish songs that help the entire family sing, dance, laugh, and connect with our culture together. It wasn’t a straight road getting here, but honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road hasn’t always been smooth.
In 2024, my partner was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a double mastectomy and DIEP flap reconstruction, she made a full recovery. During that year, playing Tío Toto shows at Cherrywood Coffeehouse on the third weekend of every month was my only musical endeavor.
I never told the families at our shows what we were going through at home, but somehow the energy Cherrywood began to change. The crowds became more supportive, and those shows gave me a place to breathe, create, and feel connected.
Some people get lemons. We squeezed limes and made limonada.
My windows for songwriting became very small, so I had to learn how to use them well. I would write in a furor, then test the new songs at our next Cherrywood show. That season taught me how to create with urgency and how much music can carry us when life gets heavy.
Sometimes, things don’t look very promising in the moment. What matters is that we take those lime seeds, plant them, and give them a chance to grow into trees.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write and perform Spanglish music for kids and the grown-ups who love them. As Tío Toto, I make songs that bring families together through music, movement, humor, and culture.
My shows are loud, playful, and interactive. Kids are encouraged to dance, be silly, and participate, but I also want the parents, grandparents, tías, and tíos to enjoy the music. I never want it to feel like the grown-ups are simply waiting for the show to end.
What sets me apart is that I am not approaching this as someone who grew up speaking perfect Spanish. I grew up Mexican American in El Paso, surrounded by the culture but never fully learning the language. I am taking the Selena approach to learning Spanish through music.
There can be a lot of insecurity around language. Sometimes we worry that we do not speak enough Spanish, that our accent is wrong, or that we are somehow not Mexican enough. My music comes from a place of letting go of that fear. You do not have to speak perfectly to participate in your culture. You can begin with one word, one song, or one silly dance.
I am most proud of the community that has formed around the music. Families return to the shows, kids remember the songs, and adults feel comfortable singing along even when they do not know every word. That means a lot to me. I am also incredibly proud to have been selected for the Texas Touring Roster. It feels like recognition not only of the music, but also of the families, culture, and community at the heart of Tío Toto.
I also bring an unusual combination of experiences to the work. I have been a touring musician, an engineer, a children’s-book songwriter, and a dad trying to share his culture with his son. Somehow, all those winding roads led to the same place.
Some people teach language through worksheets. I would rather teach it by getting the whole family to shake it like a cupcake.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Tío Toto has never been a solo project, even when I am the only person standing onstage.
Lindsay O’Neal and Tiffany Lynn Young were there at the beginning. Lindsay’s painting of a cupcake wearing glasses sparked the idea that became *Jump, Little Cake, Jump*. Tiffany helped turn that idea into a story, and together we created something much bigger than any of us first imagined. That project gave me my first real experience writing music for children and performing for families.
Gene Davis and The Que Pastas also played an important role. When I had the opportunity to fill in for them at Cherrywood Coffeehouse, Gene helped open the door to a world I did not yet know I belonged in. That experience taught me how to hold the attention of a room full of children while still making the show enjoyable for the adults.
I also have to give a lot of credit to the Story Wranglers. Mitch Harris, Katie Moore, Jen Hartman Luck, Ben Bazán, Katie Kohler, Jonathan Horstmann, and so many others gave me the space to explore acting and improv through music. They helped me become a more confident performer and taught me to trust the unexpected moments that happen when you are creating with an audience.
My mentor, Sara Hickman, has been an important guide and supporter along the way. Jauquin Gonzalez and the City of Austin Career Training program also helped me understand the business side of the work. That course, along with their continued support, helped me build the foundation Tío Toto needed to succeed.
Lynn Barnett, Vikki Head, and Beth Beam at the Children’s Art and Literacy Festival trusted and believed in Tío Toto. Their support changed the trajectory of this entire adventure. Sometimes, all it takes is for the right people to see what you are building and give it a chance.
I also need to give a big thank you to my band, Jeff Munn and Andrea Ballard. Their musicianship, creativity, and support have helped shape the sound of Tío Toto. The music would not be what it is without them.
My partner Jamie deserves an enormous amount of credit. She has supported the winding road that brought me here, even while facing challenges much greater than anything happening onstage. Her strength changed the way I think about time, creativity, and what it means to keep showing up.
My son is another huge part of this story. Wanting to share my culture with him pushed me to confront my own insecurity around Spanish. In many ways, we have been learning together. Without him, Tío Toto might never have fully found its purpose.
Finally, I have to thank the families who continue to show up. The Cherrywood community gave me a place to experiment, fail, rewrite, and grow. Kids are the most honest focus group in the world. If a song works, they will let you know. If it does not, they will definitely let you know.
Every person who danced, sang along, brought a friend, booked a show, offered advice, or simply believed this could work helped build Tío Toto. I may write the songs, but the community helped me find my voice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tiototo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiototomusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593052850875&sk=directory_names
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tiototomusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/43UVd9R0EBffg5DeFUVyRi?si=9H2mVuDvTVG_ZP8eZxOeMg
