Tony Pastor, Jr. was a vocalist in his father's combos, big bands with too many instrumental slots to consist totally of family members, even considering the fact that it was an Italian-American Catholic family. Nonetheless, the clan that started out as Pestritto when they hit the American shores and made a respectable effort at turning family members into musicians. In addition to the bandleader's brother, trumpeter and vocalist Stubby Pastor, what might be considered the "pastorization" of the band also included children Guy Pastor and John Pastor.
As an interesting sideline to these children following in their father's musical footsteps, at least two of the brothers were involved in an early-'60s psychedelic band which called itself the Prime Mover. Tony Pastor, Jr. and John Pastor co-wrote the group's only single release, "When You Made Love to Me." An acting career also provided some opportunities to escape his father's swinging baton and watchful eye. Pastor, Jr. had small roles in films such as the 1959 Operation Petticoat; appeared on television variety shows in the '60s, and later in his career conducted acting classes for institutes such as the Riverside Arts Council. In 2005 he directed the production of a play entitled The Sandgame.
