Ben Yanto

Ben Yanto PINOY CLASSIC ROCK FOUNDER BEN YANTO: THE ROOT OF PINOY COMBO

Pinoy Classic Rock sounds like a genre in music, but it’s not. Meet Ben Yanto, musician, businessman, and the man who created  PCR or Pinoy Classic Rock.

 “My first encounter with music was during my elementary years in the 50's. The movie "Rock Around The Clock" and those "Elvis Presley" films were major influences. I also had a 4th grade classmate who played the guitar, and i was simply amazed and developed a liking towards musical instruments.” Relays Ben reminiscing. Born in Paco, Manila but raised in Pasay and Makati, where he spent his adolescent years, life was going smooth for Ben as a budding teenager. But then, the whole family immigrated to Guam in 1964 when he was 14 years.

“My first band was formed in high school. It was during the 10th grade that me and some friends on Guam created the band "Jaguars." We were the type of band that skipped school just to practice because our parents were not supportive of it. In fact, I got caught by my parents once when i was practicing at another relative's house.”, quipped Ben. Ben stayed in Guam for 5 years, graduated in high school in Guam in 1968. His band “Remains” was popular back then until he got drafted in the US Army around March 1969; he was just 19 years back then.

“The musical genre i play mostly include oldies and classic rock. In my younger years, I used to play in parties and military bases on Guam. In the 70's and 80's, i only played for Filipino cultural events because of the identity movement going on in the States. During the later years, i was playing only for leisure. Then the internet became a sensation in the 90s which inspired me to reach out to other people who also love music. Little by little, i got to connect with various musicians.”, relays Ben who is now here in the Philippines on a permanent basis.

Pinoy Classic Rock (PCR) was born in 2002 through the internet. It used to be just an “E-group” at that time. It was made to connect to Pinoy musicians of the 60's and 70's. During that time, there were Pinoy  Jazz and Pinoy Rock groups but none for the Classics and oldies music gender. Rock N Roll is the root music of the Babyboomers. It was supposed to be called Pinoy Classic Rock N Roll but Ben Yanto thought it seemed to long so it was shorten to Pinoy Classic Rock (PCR).

During the mid-90s while Ben was still in Indiana USA,  internet has opened up worldwide & that’s when he started making friends with other Pinoy musicians in the US, Canada & in the Philippines. “The concept of PCR took place around late 90s while I was watching VH1 ‘Where Are They Now’ (regarding popular bands of the 60s & 70s) in mainstream music industry in US & internationally. Then I started thinking as to what happened to the Pinoy combos of the 60s as well  as Pinoy bands of the 70s.”,confides Ben.

“PCR is now a vital part in the music community not only in the Philippines but also abroad. Moving forward, PCR hopes to keep on reuniting Pinoy Musikeros. Whether from the old generation or new generation of music, everyone is welcome. Of course, it is still important to reunite the “Musikeros” of the 60's and 70's because time as we know it is catching up to our old age.”, declares Ben Yanto who just celebrated his 69th birthday last November.

I had the privilege of being invited on a number of occasion at PCR’s “Reunion Jam” every January of every year. The atmosphere is very brotherly. The food, the live music and the hospitality of the members are overwhelming. Now on its 17th year, PINOY CLASSIC ROCK will turn another leaf come January 2019. Here’s to another Rock n Roll year ahead!

Mabuhay ka Ben Yanto!