Tony Medrano (also billed as Thony Medrano and Tony Thony) is a Dominican merengue singer born on November 3, 1964, in Baní, Peravia. He sang lead on the mid-1980s merengue recording of «Viejo Año», which became a fixture of Dominican year-end celebrations.

Early career

Medrano began his professional career in the 1980s. Biographical accounts trace his early work through «Orquesta Armonía», Víctor Waill’s orchestra and «Orquesta Liberación», led by Alex Bueno, before joining the orchestra led by July Mateo "Rasputín". In an interview, Medrano recalled leaving that orchestra during an international tour, a decision he later described as a youthful mistake.

«Viejo Año» and the 1988 recording

The merengue version of «Viejo Año», originally a Venezuelan gaita, was released by «CBS» in the mid-1980s with Medrano as lead vocalist for that orchestra. Retrospective accounts trace the song to a cassette brought from Venezuela before it was recorded in merengue. In 1988, a «Karen Records» LP appeared under the billing «Thony Medrano y Los Hijos del Rey». Its track list included «Tu Cárcel», «No Me Hablen de Ella» and «Bamboleo».

Return to recording and Baní

After living in the United States, Medrano returned to the Dominican Republic and resumed his musical work. In 2017 he recorded new versions of «Viejo Año» and «Yemayá», the latter recast as salsa and dedicated to Baní. Local festival programs listed him for Baní events: in 2023 he was scheduled to perform a musical tribute with Julia Castillo, and in 2025 his orchestra appeared in the announced programme for the town’s patron-saint festivities.

Legacy

Medrano’s best-known recording is his lead vocal on the mid-1980s recording of «Viejo Año». His subsequent recordings and hometown performances document a career that continued beyond that year-end classic.