Lara was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Cuban immigrantsbut much of his childhood was spent in Venezuela, moving to Caracas at the age of 7.At 8, he had mastered cuatro - a four-string Venezuelan instrument from which he graduated to the guitar. He moved with his family to Miami when he was in junior high. While studying electrical engineering at the University of Miami in Florida,he rediscovered his Cuban roots in guajiro, the Cuban equivalent of country, and "son" - Cuban music's answer to the blues. This led him to the tres, a Cuban instrument with a unique sound and with the status of a grassroots instrument in Cuba.