Before becoming famous, he had been performing across Puerto Rico's western coast with various musical trios, particularly with the "Trio Los Duendes". He was regarded as having a powerful voice, but was too shy to occupy a solo spot in any of the groups he performed with. In fact, Avellanet claimed, he felt better suited to performing comedy, and he did comic sketches at a few high school functions. After he returned from a stint with the Army National Guard in North Carolina he was discovered by Cuban-born television promoter Gaspar Pumarejo, who immediately introduced him to the Puerto Rico television audience.