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Mark & Lalo Guerrero Lecture/Concert
May 22, 2001
by Mark Guerrero
Tom Waldman and David Reyes, co-authors of the book
“Land of a Thousand Dances” (1998), University of New
Mexico Press, organized a lecture/concert series
showcasing East L.A. Chicano musical artists. The Mark &
Lalo Guerrero event, which took place May 22, 2001, was
the first in the series. Events that followed featured
Cannibal & the Headhunters (June), Little Willie G. and Jimmy Espinoza
discussing their careers with the Midniters (July), Rudy Salas &
Tierra (August), and a panel
discussion with radio personalities Art Laboe and Sancho
(September). The venue was Self Help Graphics in East Los Angeles on
the corner of Cesar Chavez Blvd. and Gage St. The events
were held upstairs in what used to be the CYO (Catholic
Youth Organization) Hall. Coincidentally, or cosmically,
the first official gig of my first band, “The Escorts,”
was in the same room on November 22, 1963. We played
there several times between ‘63 and ‘65. What is amazing
is that it looks exactly the same as it did way back
then. It has the same wooden stage, but the top has been
redone. The stage and the hall itself were old in 1963!
The Lalo & Mark event started with Tom and David asking
us questions on microphone while we were seated with
microphones at a table facing the audience. They played
excerpts from our recordings as the interview
progressed; my dad’s “Pancho Lopez,” “Mickey Mouse
Mambo,” and Marijuana Boogie, and my “Dance with Me”
(Mark & the Escorts), “I’m Brown,” and “On the
Boulevard.” We told stories about what inspired some of
these songs and related events. This was followed by a
question and answer session. In attendance were many
people I’d known throughout the years including, Jesus
“Xuiy” Velo of the rock group Los IIlegals, artists
Wayne Healy Alaniz and Serge Hernandez, Mark & the
Escorts original members Ernie Hernandez, Robert Warren
and Trini Basulto, three members of Cannibal & the
Headhunters, including founding member, Robert “Rabbit”
Jaramillo, and many others. My girlfriend, Janie Hughes,
sold CDs and mixed with the crowd which also included a
girl I hadn’t seen since high school, the daughter of
Mike Carcano, who owned and operated the Record Inn in
the golden age of East L.A., and some old timers who
used to go to my dad’s night club in the 60s. It was
quite a mix and everyone, including my dad and I, had a
great time.
For information on upcoming events, call
Self-Help Graphics at (323-264-1259) or visit their
website at
www.selfhelpgraphics.com.
Two
Photos Below
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Lalo
& Mark Guerrero |
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Mark
& the Escorts 2001 (left
to right- Mark Guerrero, Ernie Hernandez, Robert
Warren, and Trini Basulto) |
Contact me at: info@markguerrero.net
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