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Chicano/a Rock in Southern California
Contributor:
Mark Guerrero
Most major Chicano rock
artists have emerged from Southern California and have provided a major source of Latino/a musical
entertainment in the United States. To be more specific, most have come from
the greater Los Angeles area. The area’s enormous population and the proximity
to the recording industry in Hollywood are two possible reasons. Some emigrated
to the Los Angeles area from other parts of the country, but the majority are
native to the area. The following information was gathered by my own experience
as a singer/songwriter/musician in Southern California since the early 60s,
along with years of interviews and research I’ve conducted for my Chicano music
website, www.markguerrero.com.
In any survey of Chicano music in
general, or more specifically Chicano rock, one has to start with the man who is
widely considered the “Father of Chicano Music,” my dad, Lalo Guerrero. He’s
also been described by pop singer Linda Ronstadt, who is also of Mexican
descent, as “the first great Chicano musical artist.” Born and raised in
Tucson, Arizona, Lalo came to Los Angeles in 1939, where he recorded virtually
his entire catalogue, with the exception of many of the children’s records he
did in Mexico City with Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero. In a career that began
in the late 1930s and continued into the 21st century, he wrote and recorded
over seven hundred titles which cover virtually every genre of Latin and
American music. Among his composing credits are the classic “Nunca Jamas,”
covered by Jose Feliciano, Javier Solis, and the Trio Los Panchos, and “Canción
Mexicana,” recorded by legendary Mexican ranchera singers, Lucha Reyes and Lola
Beltrán. Aside from the Latin forms such as the ranchera, bolero, cumbia,
corrido, cha cha cha, pachanga, porro, rhumba, samba, tropicál and norteña,
Guerrero also recorded rock & roll, blues, boogie woogie, swing, and pop
ballads, in addition to comedy songs, parodies, and children’s music. Since my
topic is Chicano rock, I’ll examine the rock-related part of Lalo’s creative
output. In the late 40s and early 50s, while an artist for Imperial Records, he
often wrote Spanish language versions of popular American hits. Some examples
are: “La Tamalada” (Saturday Night Fish Fry” by Louis Jordan), “El Bolerito de
la Main” and “Chicas Patas Boogie” (“Chatanooga Shoeshine Boy” and “Oh Babe” by
Louis Prima), and “Llorar” (“Cry” by Johnny Ray). He also wrote and recorded
his own blues, swing and rock songs such as “Muy Sabroso Blues (Very Tasty
Blues),” “Marijuana Boogie,” “El Hombre Gordo (The Fat Man),” and “Se Fue y Me
Dejó (She Left and Abandoned Me).” These songs might be considered pre-rock &
roll. Many of Lalo’s songs from his Imperial Records era used an original form
of Chicano slang called Caló, which was spoken by pachucos and zoot suiters of
the time. He first used Caló in the late 40s on his recordings with his Trio
Imperial. He later utilized it with his band, Lalo Guerrero y sus Cinco Lobos.
It was with this band that he recorded his swing and blues music in the late 40s
and early 50s. By the mid-fifties, before the emergence of Ritchie Valens, he
was writing and recording outright rock & roll. “Tin Marin De Do Pingue” gives
“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & the Comets a run for its money. One of
my favorites of the period is “Do You Believe In Reincarnation,” a doo wop song
complete with Jordinaires-style background vocal harmonies. Lalo also included
rock in his comedy recordings such as “Elvis Perez,” which contained within
Spanish versions of Elvis Presley hits “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and
“Heartbreak Hotel.” In the 60s, he wrote and recorded a rock song called “Los
Greñudos,” backed by my teenage band, Mark & the Escorts. He also created rock
hybrids (part rock/part norteña) such as “La Minifalda de Reynalda” and “Felipe
El Hippie,” with Los Hermanos Arellano backing him on the norteña parts and Mark
and the Escorts on the rock sections. Another important figure in the pre-rock
era is Edmundo Tostado, known as Don Tosti. Don played violin in the El Paso
Symphony, upright bass in the big bands in New York, and led a band called The
Pachuco Boogie Boys (with the great Eddie Cano on piano). He accomplished all
that before forming his popular Latin band in the mid-fifties, known as Don
Tosti and his Orchestra. The recordings by The Pachuco Boogie Boys were often
swing or boogie woogie songs, also employing Caló. Their lead singer was Raul
Diaz, who could scat sing with the best of his Anglo and Black counterparts.
In 1958, Pacoima, California’s
Ritchie Valens (Valenzuela) burst onto the scene as a rock & roller with “Come
On Let’s Go” and “Donna,” which were his compositions, and his rocked up version
of a traditional Mexican son jarocho from Veracruz, ”La Bamba.” With his tragic
early demise, it can never be known what he would have achieved or what
direction his music would have taken, but the fact that he created such great
records by the age of 17 is astounding. Ritchie influenced many Latino rockers
who were to follow, including Chan Romero and Chris Montez. Romero, who grew up
in Billings, Montana, came to Los Angeles in the wake of Valens’ death. He was
invited by Ritchie’s manager, Bob Keane, who had heard Chan’s demo and thought
of him as Ritchie Valens’ heir apparent. While recording in Los Angeles for
Keane’s DelFi Records, Chan was invited by Ritchie’s mother to stay at her
house, where he became like a family member in the Valenzuela household. One of
the songs Chan recorded in those first sessions was a song he had written called
“The Hippy Hippy Shake.” Unbeknownst to Chan, the record was also released in
England, where it was picked up by an unknown Paul McCartney in Liverpool. He
liked it and learned it for his young band, The Beatles. They played the song
regularly at their club gigs in Hamburg, Germany and eventually recorded it on
one of their live B.B.C. radio broadcasts. In 1965, “The Hippy Hippy Shake” was
recorded by another English band called The Swinging Blue Jeans, who had a
number one record with it on the English charts. The song was revived in 1988
by The Georgia Satellites for the soundtrack of the movie “Cocktail,” starring
Tom Cruise. Hawthorne, California’s Chris Montez (b. Ezekiel Montanez) had met
Ritchie Valens, who had performed at a local dance hall. Fueled by the
inspiration he got from Valens, Chris went on to have a hit record with “Let’s
Dance,” which reached number four on the national charts in 1962. The success
of “Let’s Dance” led to a tour of England with The Beatles, who recorded their
first album during that tour. In the mid-sixties Chris had more chart success
with mellower songs such as “Call Me” and “The More I See You.” Like Chan
Romero, Trini Lopez had to come to Los Angeles to fill a void left by a fallen
star. Trini originally made the trip from Dallas, Texas to join The Crickets in
the wake of Buddy Holly’s death. When things weren’t moving fast enough for
Trini, who was running out of money, he began to play clubs as a solo artist.
An engagement at the famous P.J.’s in Hollywood led to being discovered by no
less than Frank Sinatra. Sinatra signed Trini to a record deal with his Reprise
Records. “Trini Lopez Live at P.J.’s” hit number two nationally and launched
Trini’s career. He had several hit singles that reached the national top 40 in
the mid-sixties, the biggest being his version of “If I Had a Hammer,” which was
number one in 25 countries and enjoyed 48 weeks in the U.S. Top 40. Trini Lopez
has recorded over forty albums in his career.
In the 1960s, East Los Angeles
became a hot bed of music. Much like Liverpool in the same era, there were
scores, if not hundreds of bands, numerous venues for teenage dances, and many
records being made. Much of this boom was a result of the efforts of two men,
Eddie Davis and Billy Cardenas. Eddie was a producer who owned several small
record labels, while Billy produced and managed many of the Eastside teenage
bands. They worked together and separately to advance the careers of many
musicians and singers. Billy’s first band was called the Romancers. They
recorded two instrumental albums for DelFi Records in 1963, “Do the Slauson” and
“Let’s Do the Swim.” On these records, The Romancers created the blueprint for
what was later to be known as the “Eastside Sound.” It featured a tight and
funky rhythm section (bass and drums), a “chunka chunka” rhythm guitar, a trebly
and poppy Fender Telecaster lead guitar, and a wailing tenor sax. Other
features in the original “Eastside Sound” that soon evolved were the baritone
sax and Farfisa organ. The standout song on the “Do the Slauson” album was
“Slauson Shuffle,” written by the band’s leader and rhythm guitarist, Max
Uballez. Lead guitarist, Andy Tesso, would influence many East L.A. guitarists
of the era. The Romancers went on to record many singles with vocals, including
their classic rendition of an Etta James recording, “My Heart Cries.” Their
version featured some sophisticated and well-executed vocal harmonies. Billy
Cardenas and Eddie Davis went on to have three of their Eastside bands achieve
national hit records. The Premiers reached number 19 in 1964 with “Farmer
John,” a cover of a Don & Dewey r&b recording. This led to several national
tours on which they shared the bill with the likes of the Rolling Stones, The
Kinks, The Zombies, and The Supremes. The Blendells scored a hit the same year
with a cover of an obscure Stevie Wonder song entitled “La La La La La.” It
reached number 62 on the national charts, but hit the top ten in Los Angeles.
They toured with the Dave Clark Five as part of Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars.
In 1965, Cannibal & the Headhunters reached number 30 with their version of a
song written by Chris Kenner and Fats Domino called “Land of a Thousand
Dances.” Lead singer Frankie “Cannibal” Garcia added the “na na na na na”
chorus to the song, which had a great deal to do with its success. Riding the
momentum of their hit record, Cannibal & the Headhunters toured the U.S. with
The Beatles, including their historic concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and New
York’s Shea Stadium. Although they didn’t achieve national status, Thee
Midniters, with their lead singer Little Willie G. (Garcia), were the most
popular of the East L.A. bands. Their version of “Land of a Thousand Dances”
hit number 67 on the charts, but they never toured nationally. However, they
enjoyed several local and regional hits, including their instrumental cruising
anthem “Whittier Boulevard.” Little Willie G. was a charismatic front man, who
had a great voice and a cool, smooth stage presence. Although he could belt an
up tempo r&b or rock song, his strong suit was the romantic ballad. Another
major star on the Eastside scene was Little Ray (Jimenez). Little Ray was a
great r&b singer and performer on the level of the best of Motown. He recorded
several 45 rpm singles, but never had a hit record. I had a band called Mark &
the Escorts, produced and managed by Billy Cardenas, who recorded two singles
for GNP Crescendo Records in 1965. They were reissued by Dionysus Records in
2001 on “Eastside Sound, Volume 2.” There were other bands and vocal groups who
made good records for independent labels such as The Jaguars with the Salas
Brothers, The Blue Satins, The Ambertones, Ronnie & the Casuals, The
Heartbreakers, The Sisters, The Enchantments, The Village Callers, and The
Impalas. Pat and Lolly Vegas (Vasquez), brothers from Fresno, California, came
to Los Angeles in the early 60s. They changed their last name on the advice of
an agent to avoid racial discrimination in the night clubs on the Sunset Strip
in Hollywood. Pat, on bass and vocals, and Lolly, on guitar and vocals,
recorded “Live at the Haunted House” for Mercury Records. Pat & Lolly became
in-demand session players backing up many artists alongside musicians such as
Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, and Dr. John. As songwriters, they wrote a hit for
P.J. Proby called “Nicky Hoeky,” which led to covers by Aretha Franklin, Bobbi
Gentry, and Tom Jones. In the early 70s, Pat & Lolly Vegas formed Redbone, who
had two top 40 hit records, including “The Witch Queen of New Orleans,” and
their mega hit “Come and Get Your Love.”
In the 70s, many East L.A. bands
with roots in the previous decade emerged with major label record deals. With
the raised consciousness brought about by the Chicano movement of the late 60s,
bands began to use names that reflected their Latino heritage. El Chicano,
Tierra, Yaqui, Tango, and Macondo are examples of this change. El Chicano, who
were known as The VIPs in the 60s, scored a national hit with a Latin jazz
instrumental called “Viva Tirado.” Written by jazz musician Gerald Wilson, it
was an homage to Mexican bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado. The record featured the
Hammond organ of Bobby Espinoza and the Wes Montgomery-style guitar work of
Mickey Lespron. El Chicano toured the world extensively, with perhaps their
most significant highlight being a successful appearance at the legendary Apollo
Theater in Harlem, the African-American section of New York City. They had a
second top 40 hit in 1973 with a Latin-flavored pop song, “Tell Her She’s
Lovely.” El Chicano released seven albums in the 70s, six of them on MCA
Records. Manager/producer Art Brambila succeeded in having three of his artists
sign with major labels in 1972. Tierra signed with 20th Century records, Yaqui
with Hugh Hefner’s short-lived Playboy Records, and yours truly with Capitol
Records as a solo artist. Tierra was formed by Rudy and Steve Salas, the same
Salas brothers who had sung with the Jaguars in the 60s. Tierra’s first
self-titled album featured a great song called “Barrio Suite.” It included
several musical styles which, along with the lyrics, captured the spirit of life
in the barrio. Yaqui, whose sound was a mixture of Santana, Led Zeppelin, and
Crosby, Stills, and Nash, were fronted by strong lead singers George Ochoa and
Eddie Serrano. I recorded two singles for Capitol, including my best song and
record of the decade, “I’m Brown.” When I moved to A&M Records the following
year as lead singer and songwriter for my band Tango, A&M bought the Capitol
masters and re-released most of them, including “I’m Brown, as part of our first
album. Tango’s style included mainly rock & roll and country rock. My main
influences at the time were The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Buffalo
Springfield. In 1971, previous to my Capitol and A&M recordings, I had a single
out produced by legendary producer Lou Adler on his Ode Record label. Adler had
produced hits for the Mamas and the Papas and Carole King. Another band with
roots in East L.A., Macondo had a Latin-flavored album out on Atlantic Records.
Macondo was led by Max Uballez, who had been in the Romancers in the 60s. Ruben
& the Jets, led by Rubén Guevara, recorded two albums for Mercury Records, “For
Real” in 1973 and “Con Safos” in 1974. These albums resulted from a meeting
between Guevara and the legendary Frank Zappa. Zappa had previously recorded an
album called “Cruisin’ with Ruben & the Jets” with his band, The Mothers of
Invention. After hitting it off with Rubén Guevara, Zappa suggested Guevara
form a “real” Ruben & the Jets. The resulting albums were recorded in authentic
1950s doo wop and r&b styles. Ruben & the Jets toured with artists such as
Three Dog Night, T Rex, and Frank Zappa. Another East L.A. artist to surface in
the decade was singer/songwriter Hirth Martinez. He was discovered by the great
Bob Dylan, who connected him with Robbie Robertson of The Band. Robertson
produced Hirth’s first album “Hirth from Earth” (1975), and The Band’s producer,
John Simon, produced the second, “Big Bright Street” (1977). These two albums,
on the Warner Brothers label, are filled with extraordinary songs written by
Hirth. They run the gamut from Jobim-styled sambas to melodic ballads, blues
and jazz. Two female artists also emerged in the 70s. Fresno, California’s
Carmen Moreno, with a voice that rivals Joan Baez and Linda Ronstadt, recorded
for Epic, Capitol, and Boardwalk Records, both in English and Spanish. Geri
Gonzalez, who had been a member of the Village Callers in the late 60s in East
L.A., sang r&b and Latin styles with a world-class voice. She was signed to MCA
Records and recorded an album, which was never released because she was told she
didn’t sound black enough for r&b.
With the emergence of the punk movement in the late
70s, Chicano groups represented that genre as well. One of the pioneering bands
was The Plugz, led by Tito Larriva. The Plugz invaded the Hollywood punk
nightclub scene and recorded two albums for Fatima Records. The same record
label, started by Larriva and two partners, also released a 5-song 12” record by
an East L.A. band who had later hit the Hollywood punk circuit called The Brat,
featuring lead vocalist Teresa Covarrubias. The Brat didn’t secure a major
label deal, but were a good band who many believed deserved to do so. Tito
Larriva went on to form The Cruzados, who recorded two albums for Arista Records
in the 80s, and Tito and Tarantula in the 90s. Tito & Tarantula have several
albums to their credit and have toured the world extensively. Los Illegals
formed in East L.A. in 1979. They eventually hit the clubs in Hollywood and
secured a record deal with A&M records. Led by world-class visual artist Willie
Herrón, Los Illegals’ first single was a powerful and energetic punk anthem
about the trials and tribulations of an illegal alien in Los Angeles. In 1983,
their album “Internal Exile” was released, which included a Spanish language
version of “El Lay.” The album dealt with issues such as immigration, street
gangs, poverty, violence, and alienation. Another band from East L.A. to emerge
in the early 80s was Los Lobos. They had formed in the early 70s as a band
rediscovering their Mexican musical roots. In the late 70s they picked up their
electric instruments and began to play rock & roll alongside their acoustic
Mexican music. Their music became a mix of rock & roll, rockabilly, country,
Latin, and traditional Mexican music. They played the punk and new wave circuit
in Hollywood, which led to their record deal with Slash/Warner Records. As of
2003, they’ve recorded eight studio albums and have released two major
compilation sets. Los Lobos’ version of “La Bamba,” from the movie of the same
name, was number one in the nation in 1987. They’ve headlined all over the
world and have opened for such legendary rock groups as The Grateful Dead, The
Clash, The Eagles, and U2. Los Lobos have won the respect of music critics and
fans around the world as a band of quality and integrity. In the nineties and
into the new millennium, Chicano/a musical artists continue to emerge from
Southern California influenced and inspired by those who came before them.
In this essay, I have reviewed the
major artists, styles, and genres of Chicano rock music from Southern
California. These artists have not only created a niche for themselves in the
Chicano/a music scene, but have contributed a significant amount to mainstream
rock music since its inception.
SOURCES FOR FURTHER READING
Reyes, David and Waldman, Tom, “Land of a Thousand Dances,
Chicano Rock ‘n’ Roll from Southern California” (University of New Mexico
Press/1998)
Loza, Steven, “Barrio Rhythm, Mexican American Music in
Los Angeles” (University of Illinois Press/1993)
Guerrero, Lalo and Mentes, Sherilyn Meece, “Lalo, My Life
and Music” (University of Arizona Press/2002)
Peña, Manuel, “The Mexican American Orquesta” (University
of Texas Press/1999)
Sheridan, Thomas E., “Los Tucsonenses, The Mexican
Community in Tucson, 1854-1941” (University of Arizona Press/1986)
Guerrero, Mark,
www.markguerrero.com, Chicano music website.
Contact me at:
info@markguerrero.net
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