Born in a tiny Asturian hamlet into a peasant family, he emigrated to Cuba at a young age, and worked there in several jobs. As an amateur, he
sang in a Spanish choir in Havana, and was soon their first tenor soloist.
In 1927, he made his stage debut at the Teatro Martí in Havana; he was successful, and soon singing at all theaters of Havana as well as
touring Latin America.
He sang exclusively zarzuela; his first major success was in 1930 in La picara molinara. In 1933, he came to Spain with the touring Cuban
company "Guillermo Cases", and sang in La virgen morena together with baritone Marcos Redondo. Del Llano married the spanish pianist and
singer América Otero, and stayed in Spain throughout the civil war. He scored great successes at the Teatro Calderón in Madrid, as
well as in Gijon, particularly in Luisa Fernanda, Marina, and in Black el payaso by Sorozábal.
In 1947, del Llano and Otero left Spain; after appearing in Lisbon, they toured America, and then settled in Cuba. Del Llano sang on in Havana
for a few years, then he taught voice, first in Santiago, then in Havana, where he helped founding the Teatro Lirico Nacional de Cuba in 1962.
Reference and picture source
