Martin Castillo is an American-born alternative corrido singer, songwriter, drummer, and producer, whose solo recordings have been hits on the Mexican Regional charts. He is widely known by fans as "the King of Corrido" and "El Toron."
Castillo was born in 1980 in Los Angeles. His parents claim his first words were sung, not spoken, and he began playing pots and pans arranged like a drum kit when he was five. Castillo showed such an intense love for singing and rhythm that, when he was in the fifth grade, his parents enrolled him in a local music school, where he began formal studies of voice, drums, and trumpet. Due to a recommendation from a school alumnus, Castillo landed his first gig playing snare in Banda Azpericueta, where he remained until he was 16.