Researching Alberto Castillo

Castillo sang with the orchestras of Julio De Caro (1934), Augusto Berto (1935) and Mariano Rodas (1937) and Ricardo Tanturi (1939).

With his keen sense of rhythm and his tendency to go hoarse, Castillo made a name for himself as the main interpreter of the black-oriented genres of candombe and milonga. One of his most successful recordings was "Cien Barrios Porteños" (The one hundred barrios of Buenos Aires), to the point that presenters would announce him as "the singer of the 100 barrios".

Beginning in 1946, Castillo appeared in a number of Argentine films.

Castillo was also a physician by training. This fact famously convinced his fiancée's parents to let her marry Alberto, because he was "more than just a tango singer", and was used as a plot device in the Argentine movie Moon of Avellaneda (Sp: "Luna de Avellaneda"), where Castillo is summoned to deliver a baby right after finishing his set at a carnival fair (the story is fictitious). Castillo did have a short stint as a sport physician. In December 1951, the Vélez Sársfield soccer team, which he supported, was on a tour of Brazil, and several players came down with heatstroke in Pernambuco, where Castillo was scheduled to perform. A member of the Vélez delegation contacted Castillo, who tended to the players and stayed with the team for the remainder of the tour, rescheduling some of his shows to fit the team's agenda.

Among his later releases was a cover of his candombe hit “Siga el Baile”, recorded with Argentine band Los Auténticos Decadentes. Castillo was the mentor of many other tango artists, such as Silvia Gabriela.

Castillo is buried in La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires.

In a twelve-season career, Castillo posted a .220 batting average with 12 home runs and 101 RBI in 418 games played. His longest tenure with one team was the New York Mets, who he played with for four seasons.

During his time with the Mets, Castillo helped end one of the longest scoreless opening day games in MLB history. On March 31, 1998, he hit a full-count, two-out, pinch-hit single to right with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 14th inning to help the Mets beat their division rival Philadelphia Phillies 1–0 at Shea Stadium.

Signed by the Washington Nationals on December 13, 2005, Castillo played the 2006 season with the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs. He finished his 2006 season with the Zephyrs with a .268 batting average and 30 RBI. Castillo was a catcher for the first Dominican team in the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic.

The Boston Red Sox organization signed him to a minor league contract on December 20, 2006, and invited him to participate in the Red Sox' 2007 spring training.

On March 27, 2007, the Red Sox traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league outfielder Cory Keylor.

He was used in the 2007 season by the Orioles to fill in for injured catcher Ramón Hernández twice and was designated for assignment twice after Hernandez's return. Castillo became a minor league free agent after the season. Castillo was the captain for the Dominican Team in the 2007 Caribbean Series.

On February 14, 2008, Castillo signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros and was invited to spring training. After spending spring training with the Astros, Castillo was demoted on March 24 to the minors and later released. Confusingly, the Orioles signed a pitcher named Alberto Castillo at the beginning of the 2008 season.

On July 3, 2008, Castillo signed with the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League. In 2009, he played for the Newark Bears before being traded to the rival Long Island Ducks on July 6.

He is currently the catching instructor of the Dominican Summer League Mets.