{{Short description|Filipino guitarist (died 2022)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Philippine name|Lavalan}} {{Infobox musical artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Jun Lopito | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank --> | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = Wolfrando Lavalan Jr. | alias = | birth_date = September 25, 1957 | birth_place = Philippines | origin = | death_date = {{death date and age|2022|03|29|1957|9|25}} | death_place = | genre = Rock, blues, reggae, alternative rock, progressive rock | occupation = Musician | instrument = Vocals, guitar | years_active = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or –present) --> | label = Offshore Music | associated_acts = The Jerks, Cocojam, Tropical Depression, Anakbayan, Pepe Smith, Chickoy Pura, Nitoy Adriano, Tessy Alfonso, Grace Nono | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} or {{Official URL}} --> | module = | module2 = | module3 = }}

'''Wolfrando Lavalan Jr.''' (September 25, 1957 &ndash; March 29, 2022),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/filipino-rock-icon-jun-lopito-has-died-3193738|title=Filipino rock icon Jun Lopito has died|website=NME|date=March 30, 2022|access-date=March 30, 2022}}</ref> professionally known as '''Jun Lopito''', was a Filipino guitarist.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chickoy Pura: With a little help from his friends |url=https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/sunday-life/2019/08/04/1940289/chickoy-pura-little-help-his-friends |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |work=philstar.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Broughton |first1=Simon |last2=Ellingham |first2=Mark |last3=McConnachie |first3=James |last4=Duane |first4=Orla |title=World Music: The Rough Guide. Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific |date=2000 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=9781858286365 |url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetoworl00simo |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetoworl00simo/page/217 217] |quote=Jun lopito. |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> He worked with most of the Philippines' rock bands and singers such as Pinoy rock legend Pepe Smith and ethnic singer Grace Nono.<ref>{{cite news |title=Up close with a guitar god, 'regular guy' Jun Lopito |url=https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/close-guitar-god-regular-guy-jun-lopito-041514682.html |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |work=www.yahoo.com |language=en |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019120356/https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/close-guitar-god-regular-guy-jun-lopito-041514682.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life==

Born as Wolfrando Lavalan Jr., Jun Lopito was the son of Wolfrando Lavalan Sr. better known as "Lopito", a comedian and the original Filipino TV host of Tawag ng Tanghalan in the 1950s. Jun at the age of 8 was caught up in music after seeing The Beatles in concert in 1966.<ref>{{cite news |title=There's a Jun Lopito benefit gig on Friday! {{!}} Coconuts Manila |url=https://coconuts.co/manila/news/theres-jun-lopito-benefit-friday/ |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |work=Coconuts |date=May 14, 2014}}</ref> At the age of 17, he played blues and rock. In 1979, the alternative rock and blues band The Jerks was formed and he joined later in the year.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Jerks {{!}} Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-jerks-mn0000769390 |website=AllMusic |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |language=en-us}}</ref>

==Career== In 1976, Joey Smith of the Pinoy rock band Juan dela Cruz during its hiatus formed the band ''The Airwaves''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sallan |first1=Edwin P. |title=We will never see another Pepe Smith |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/music/01/29/19/we-will-never-see-another-pepe-smith |access-date=October 19, 2019 |work=ABS-CBN News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Remembering Pepe Smith |url=https://entertainment.mb.com.ph/2019/01/28/the-pepe-smith-story/ |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |work=Manila Bulletin Entertainment |archive-date=January 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190131062700/https://entertainment.mb.com.ph/2019/01/28/the-pepe-smith-story/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1978, Lopito joined Anak Bayan along with drummer and lead vocalist Edmond "Bosyo" Fortuno, lead guitarist Gary Perez, and bassist Virgilio "Gil" Lemque.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olivares |first=Rick |title=OPM rock history: 50 years of Anak Bayan {{!}} ABS-CBN Entertainment |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/05/03/21/opm-rock-history-50-years-of-anak-bayan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201014648/https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/05/03/21/opm-rock-history-50-years-of-anak-bayan |archive-date=2024-12-01 |access-date=2025-10-19 |website=ABS-CBN |language=en-US}}</ref> On that year, Anak Bayan released the song "Pagbabalik ng Kuwago" and it topped the charts before Lopito joined The Jerks whilst the remaining trio of Fortuno, Perez, and Lemque became the members of the backing band for Sampaguita by mid-1978. The band The Jerks was formed in 1979 and Lopito joined as a guitarist and left the band in the 90s. The album ''Bodhisattvas'' was released in 1995 as his first solo album<ref>{{cite book |title=Filipinas |date=1997 |publisher=Filipinas Pub. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c1UOAQAAMAAJ&q=Jun+Lopito+bodhisattvas |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> on which he composed four of the eleven songs.<ref>{{cite news |title=Up close with a guitar god, 'regular guy' Jun Lopito |url=https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/close-guitar-god-regular-guy-jun-lopito-041514682.html |accessdate=October 19, 2019 |work=www.yahoo.com |language=en |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019120356/https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/close-guitar-god-regular-guy-jun-lopito-041514682.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Death== Jun died on March 29, 2022, at the age of 64.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sallan |first=Edwin P. |date=2022-03-30 |title=Pinoy Rock legend Jun Lopito passes away {{!}} Edwin P. Sallan |url=https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/03/30/pinoy-rock-legend-jun-lopito-passes-away/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=BusinessMirror |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Awards==

{| class="wikitable" ! Year !! Award giving body !! Category !! Nominated work !! Results

|- |rowspan=2|'''1996'''||Awit Awards||'''Best Rock Recording'''||"Pure Souls"||{{won}} |- |NU Rock Awards||'''Guitarist of the Year'''||{{N/A}}||{{won}}

|- |rowspan=2|'''1998'''||Katha Awards||'''Best Rock Song'''||"Reklamo ng Reklamo"||{{won}} |- |NU Rock Awards||'''Best Album'''||"Reklamo ng Reklamo"||{{won}} |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{discogs artist|Jun Lopito}} * {{IMDb name|2455556}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopito, Jun}} Category:1957 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Filipino rock guitarists Category:Place of birth missing Category:20th-century guitarists Category:20th-century Filipino male musicians Category:21st-century Filipino musicians Category:20th-century male musicians Category:21st-century Filipino male musicians Category:21st-century Filipino guitarists