His stage name "Tonino Carotone", which is translatable in English as Tony Pokerface, is inspired by his great idol, the Italian pop pianist and singer Renato Carosone.

In 1995, Tonino moved to Italy, where he gained success five years later after releasing the single Me cago en el amor (a slang idiom from Spain meaning "I curse love", but literally translatable as "I shit on love") from his debut album Mondo difficile ("Difficult World").

Tonino Carotone and Manu Chao performed the theme song for Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, titled La Trampa.

In 2006, Tonino and writer Federico Traversa released a book titled Il Maestro dell'Ora Brava.

Previous to his solo work, Tonino formed part of the Pamplona based group Kojón Prieto y los Huajolotes, gaining a moderate following before disbanding in 1995.