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Liner Notes for Lalo Guerrero CD “Vamos a Bailar Otra Vez!”
Break Records (1999)

By Mark Guerrero

     It’s amazing, though not surprising, that Lalo Guerrero recorded this great album with world class musicians and arrangers at the age of 82.  After all, he was born in Barrio Viejo, Tucson, Arizona, to a family with lots of kids and not a lot of money and, after 65 years in music, received the National Medal of the Arts at the White House in 1997.  He accomplished this without a formal musical education or a high school diploma.  His genius is innate, natural, and instinctive.  He’s a great singer and songwriter in many genres including salsa, norteña, banda, corridos, rancheras, boleros, cumbias, cha cha chas, mambos, canciones comicas, as well as, big band swing, blues, rock & roll, and even parodies and children’s music.  Most of his songs are in Spanish, some in English, and many are bilingual.  He is rightfully recognized as the “Father of Chicano Music” because there is no Chicano musical artist who has come close to creating a body of work with the quality, quantity and diversity that can compare.  For that matter, I can’t think of anyone in mainstream popular music history who can either.  Because of the limited market of Chicano music, he’s not a household name throughout the United States as are mainstream artists, but his music can stand up next to anyone’s.  This collection of songs provides an excellent sampling of his incredible versatility and talent.

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