In 1946, Lara enrolled at the Free School of Music in San Juan, where he continued his guitar studies and learned to play the trumpet.
In 1950, the owner of Mardí Records heard and was impressed by Lara's singing and asked him to form a quartet including a female voice.
[1] Lara also went solo in 1953 and scored a hit with a recording of the bolero Sollozo ('Crying'), which he followed up with Orquídeas, a Spanish version of Orchids in the Moonlight by Vincent Youmans.
He returned to New York and performed at the Paramount Theater where Myrta Silva introduced him as "El Pollo que Canta" ('The Handsome Singer').
On January 11, 1965, the group began a seven-year participation in the televised part of the Festival Sultana, a show produced by Paquito Cordero.
Lara and Los Hispanos travelled and performed in the United States, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, Venezuela and Chile.
He formed a duo with María Esther Ortiz called Los Dos and also founded the Allegro 72 group, which, among others, included Luis Antonio Cosme.
In 1985, Lara participated in the Concierto de Navidad (Christmas Concert) held at the "Luis A. Ferré Center for the Performing Arts" in San Juan.