Chaquico was born and raised in Sacramento, California and attended La Sierra High School in the suburb of Carmichael. His mother, Muriel, was a state government employee, and his father, Bill, was an upholstery craftsman who owned his own business. He had an older brother named Howard. His household was a musical one, as his mother played piano and organ and his father played saxophone and accordion. As Chaquico recalls, "My mom and dad were musicians and played around the house all the time. I thought everybody played the piano and organ like mom and the sax and accordion like Dad together after dinner." He began playing the guitar as a young boy, when his parents bought him his first guitar at the age of ten.\n', '

When Chaquico was twelve, he and his father were traveling in their car when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. Chaquico sustained major injuries. Both of his arms were broken, as were his leg, ankle, foot, wrist, and thumb. \n', '

During physical therapy, his father told him that guitarist Les Paul had been in a car accident and had played guitar to help himself heal. His father promised to buy him a Les Paul guitar when he got better. Although he could play only the high E string of his acoustic guitar due to his casts, he benefited from playing and his father kept his word about the Les Paul.\n', '

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