RiverCityAttractions
The Reunion
The Reunion
At the Historical Cadillac bar Just behind the court house “The Reunion” played to a small yet warm audience.
Newly form, band came together by a rather an unusual way.
I ask Steven Martinez (lead rhythm guitar) how the band came about. Steve said simply “We had a family reunion and we needed music. I, and Cousin James Martinez and others decided to play and entertain our families.
We had such a good time playing. We did not want to stop. We were encouraged to “Keep on going”
And here we are. We just hand our band one year anniversary this past April.
We have not been together for very long. The hardest thing to do is finding the time for practice.
I ask what kind of music you like to preform “80’s 90’s and early 2000 Alternative Rock is what we do”.
Songs from such artists as Green Day, Nirvana, Violent Femmes, Nine Inch Nails
The Reunion had a small glitch just before the band was to start to play. No cymbals for the drums. It’s kind of hard to play rock music without them.20 minutes later. They got back on track.
Hard driving rock was on tap that night. The group played well together. Like a fine wine. With a little bit of aging I see them getting even better. If you like alternative rock then I am sure that you will like this rock band.
Look for them at your local venue
Band Members:
Steve Martinez, Lead-rhythm guitar
Frank Rodriguez Vocal-Lead-rhythm guitar
James Martinez Bass-guitar back backing vocal
R.J Sanchez Drums Back backing vocal
For booking and more information….
https://www.facebook.com/thereunion15
https://www.reverbnation.com/thereunionsa
River City Attractions
Story and pictures by Joseph Martinez
Jean-Pierre Reveals His Alamo City Roots as He Prepares for a Comeback
EXCLUSIVE: Long Hidden Secret of Garibaldi Finally Revealed
By Ramón Hernández
Jean-Pierre Reveals His Alamo City Roots as He Prepares for a Comeback
Not only will you, the reader, learn what happened to Jean Pierre Korngold, but also one of the biggest secrets in Mexican showbiz in this exclusive interview during which he reveals a never-known fact about the “All-Mexican” musical group that performed to sold-out arenas, stadiums and festivals throughout the Latin Hemisphere and Spain. And it’s something that will make San Antonio proud.
The original Garibaldi wore a free version of the tradition mariachi charro outfit because of the fact that their name comes from Mexico City’s Plaza Garibaldi, the home of numerous mariachi bands, hence the take-off of the mariachi outfit.
This musical group, created by Luis de Llano Macedo in 1989, produced five actors (Rafael Amaya, Sergio Mayer, Víctor Noriega, Charly López and Xavier Ortíz), five actresses, radio and television hosts (Patricia Manterola, Pilar Montenegro, Ingrid Coronado, Luisa Fernanda and Katia Llanos), as the Mexican version of Puerto Rico’s young, all-male Menudo singers. However these were a mix of sexy, good-looking male and female vocalists/dancers.
As Menudo, they also went through several members, who in 1998 were renamed Garibaldi XXI to indicate they were to be the 21st century version of this popular teen group. Most important is the fact that they had great pride in their nationality and were therefore touted as an all-Mexican group.
“Little did the world know that I was born in Lima, Peru to Isidoro Korngold and Mina née Grunfeld,” Jean Pierre revealed over lunch at El Ceviche de Waldito, his favorite Peruvian hangout at 5526 Evers Rd.
Jean-Pierre sang and danced along with Rafael Amaya, Agustin Arana and Stefano Bosco, who we recently learned was Italian. However, this is what we are now finding out.
“I was four months old during the devaluation of the Peruvian currency, the Sol, and my father moved the family to San Antonio.” That was this artist’s second shocker.
For seventeen years, no one knew that this internationally-famous ex-Garibaldi grew up and went to school in the Alamo City.
“That’s right, our first home was in the Turtle Creek area, I was raised here and I don’t mind being called Tex-Mex or Tejano,” Jean-Pierre said with local pride. As a matter of trivia, Jean-Pierre’s great grandfather was a Moroccan Jews and his grandparents, who were from Germany, Poland and Austria, fled to Lima, Peru to escape the war in 1939. Now he’s proud to also be identified as a Texas and San Antonio has claim to another world-famous celebrity and the following – in a nutshell — is how it all came to be.
“My mother, Mina, whom played accordion and piano by ear, loved to sing and we would sing together all the time, at home and in the car, but without my father’s knowledge. At five, my parents bought me a Kawai grand piano, but my dad’s reason for me to take lessons, was so I could entertain his clients. Shortly thereafter, I began entering talent contests and would win every single one of them; and at six, a professor at Solomon Schechter School noticed my vocal talents.
“At ten, I won a fifth grade talent contest with ‘The Tiger Song,’ my own piano composition. And at 13, I was able to sing without having to look away from my father since I was intimidated by his mere look. But when I became a member of the Jewish congregation at my coming of age Bar Mitzvah, I sang a Hebrew song with so much emotion and so much passion, he was touched.”
After Jean-Pierre, who is fluent in Spanish, Hebrew and English, graduated from Tom C. Clark High School, he did one semester at the University of Tel Aviv, Israel and one semester at the University of Seville, Spain. Then he came back to the Lone Star state and graduated with a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Texas at Austin because his father wanted him to follow his steps in the family’s wealth management business.
“After I graduated from UTA in the top ten percent of my class, I told dad, ‘thank you for my education, but I can, I am and I’m going to become a singer. Now I’m ready to go to New York to pursue and live out my dream and I don’t care if I have to take a bus to get there.’ This was in 1995 when my mom became paralyzed and I taught her how to walk,” Jean-Pierre continued.
Much to his son’s surprise, his father saw his determination and had a change of heart. He knew Guideon Waldrop, then the dean at the Julliard School of Music, and they flew to New York. To make a long story short, Beverly Johnson, the head of the music department, accepted the proposal for Jean-Pierre to be home-schooled with a team of Julliard professors that consisted of Pei-Wen Chau, music composition; Helen Hobbs Jordan, music theory; and Robert White, vocal training.
Mrs. Jordan, an exacting and tart-tongued music teacher who instructed generations of performers including Tony Bennett, Bette Midler, Paul Simon and Melissa Manchester was 95 when she took Jean-Pierre under her wing. She died at 99.
In addition, he also took acting classes from William Esper and music composition from Doris Eugenio.
Two years later, Jean-Pierre was vacationing in the Dominican Republic with his mother when he met William “Willie” Spanbleochel, who put him in a video and promised to record a two-song demo if Jean-Pierre would go to Austria. The result was “Adios María” and “Si Puedes Entenderme” (“If You Could Read My Mind”) and while he was in Austria, Jean-Pierre went to Madrid and Galica, Spain where he met Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco and his older brother, Mohammed VI, who is now the King of Morocco, who he says, “were just like family, we became lifelong friends and I love them.”
Demo in hand, Jean-Pierre went back to the Big Apple, dropped out of his Julliard classes and told his father that he was ready to go knock on doors in Mexico. His well-known, high-profiled business savvy father got him the plane ticket and now pushing him said, “Okay, you want to sing now? Go and paint the art.
“Thanks to my dad and my stepmother, Rosario, I got in the door to meet with Luis de Llano Macedo, who wanted to reinvent Garibaldi because all the original members had moved on to solo careers or had become actors.
A little known fact is that Llano Macedo has a San Antonio connection since it was in 1962, that the then 17-year-old started out as a technician at KWEX-TV, Channel 41.
Now getting back to our story, Jean-Pierre said, “After he heard the demo, he asked if I wanted in and of course I said ‘yes.’ That’s he started all over from the bottom, when I came in — in July 1997 along with Rafael “Rafa” Amaya, Agustin Arana and Stefano Bosco, and the female side consisted of Ana, Rebeca, Paola and Alyn.
The group needed no jump-start for fans were anxiously awaited to make the new Garibaldi XXI an overnight sensation. Dicho y hecho (Said and done), after some intense rehearsing and lessons from vocal coach Seth Riggs in Hollywood — whose clients include Luis Miguel, Barbara Streisand, Madonna, Josh Groban, Michael Bolton, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole and countless other superstars — Jean-Pierre and the group started touring all over Mexico.
“Sometimes we would do two Mexican states in one day; and we had so much business because of the hits off our first compact disc that sometimes the only sleep we would get is when we would board our private jet to go perform throughout Spain, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
For a sample of the Garibaldi fever plus to her and see Jean-Pierre in action, check out two of their hits, “Las Mujeres Dicen” at www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qzT_suy0hU and “El Ombligito” at www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaymsrWmWew.
“We were on the go 18 hours a day and having to do three hours of workouts at the gym because we couldn’t show one inch of fat, but when you are doing what you love, that is not work,” Jean-Pierre said.
Asked how he felt about saying he was Mexican, the muscular, six-foot-tall artist said, “The truth is that because of my father’s business, I have been going back and forth to Mexico since I was five, so I feel very Mexican. Besides, that country gave me the opportunity to enter the world of show biz. This is where I got my first break and I was so excited to live my dream. Therefore I love and thank Mexico for that.”
After almost three years of performing before tens of thousands of adoring fans screaming at the top of their lungs at the mere sight of him, or being mobbed for autographs and pictures, teen mag centerfolds, beefcake calendars, countless radio, television and newspaper interviews plus magazine covers and full-color, multi-page layouts in national publications, Jean-Pierre now yearned to be a solo artist, so on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1999, he told the group he was leaving to go on his own.
“They gave me their blessing and I was off to pursue my dream.” He was soon replaced by Ricardo (last name unknown).
Following one disappointment after another, Jean Pierre decided to fill in the gap by working for his father, where he dealt with numerous high net worth individuals and companies.
“I hated it and never could get out the fact that my soul and love for music was taken away from me.”
Along the way, there were movies offers because of his leading-man looks, but as he said, “I’ve never wanted to be an actor.”
Nonetheless, one has to financially survive and the singer-songwriter-musician-dancer eventually entered the mortgage business. Meanwhile there were intermittent sparks of hope from José Felicano’s manager, Phyllis Kietien plus César Lemos in Miami, Nora Barragan, Patrice Villastrigo and Arturo Álvarez García in Hollywood, who Jean-Pierre paid to record an eleven-song CD. However, nothing came to fruition and he continued in his lucrative business as an insurance broker.
Nevertheless, the music bug is still there and as one who loves to give back to the community Jean-Pierre has, for years, been a regular volunteer at Golden Estates as an active participant in Shabbat service, playing the piano, organizing activities and playing games with the residents. And he also did a piano recital for Lee and Dr. Philip D. Zinn, MD in honor of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan.
While this Pisces’ vocal talent was suppressed and dormant, he says that he felt that he was like in a jail and a prisoner in his head; and now it’s time to take action by releasing his long-awaited CD on his own label.
“All of a sudden there’s a renewed interest in me and everything seems to be falling into place,” Jean-Pierre said during a second interview at the Hispanic Entertainment Archives.
The video to his first single as a solo artist, “Loco Enamorado,” can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mygG5X5-C7E and it generated enough interest to warrant an in-depth 24-minute interview — www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBMmgIYGrDM — on TV de Houston, Canal 43.3 with Marcela Rodríguez.
Another interesting video is a 13-minute piece taped when the entire Garibaldi group stopped to visit his mother’s house in Peru. This one is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuAchabAiWw.
Yes everything is starting to click and as Jean-Pierre reiterated, “It’s not over until it’s over. Don’t ever stop fighting for your dreams and your goals. Always tell yourself, ‘I am, I can and I will.
For more information or to book Jean-Pierre, call (210) 317-2835
It’s Smooth Sailing for Jonny Martinez
It’s Smooth Sailing for Jonny Martinez
By Ramón Hernández
He was born John Martín Martínez and he could have easily chose Jon Martin as his stage name. Instead, this four-time Grammy Award nominee remained true to his roots settling on Jonny Martínez.
He followed in the footsteps of his father, Tejano Music Hall of Fame inductee, Anselmo “Chemiro” Martínez as a singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer. Then he tacked on to that radio personality, recording engineer, ESL teacher, Chief of Operations (COO) for the yearly Tejano Legends cruises; and facilities manager at Texas State University since 2014.
Not one to lack inspiration, Jonny wrote and recorded “Jamaican Me Crazy” shortly after last year’s cruise to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
“This catchy tune has a Caribbean sound, the reggae and all,” Jonny said an interview at the Hispanic Entertainment Archives.
“I sing it in Spanish and the bridge is in English. My son, John Michael Martínez, actually did the engineering and played percussion on this recording, which is No. 49 on the NM1 (New Music 1) charts. NM1 is a subsidiary of MTV and this is an impressive showing when you consider that these charts are worldwide.”
Martínez’s first influence was obviously his father and as he says, “I know what I know because of my dad and when you go into an industry, you have to know the basics and he taught me everything. He even introduced me to all the musicians throughout the years. In fact, my dad coached me and took me to my first interview with Johnny Canales. He also took me to the Zúnigas, but I also learned by osmosis.
Growing up, the vocalist known for his enthusiastic attitude and positive outlook said that he followed his father’s philosophy of hanging out with positive people, “if they are successful, you too will be successful.” So while attending Southwest High School and playing football with the Dragons, he hung out with Ty Detmer and also became good friends with his father, Sonny Detmer.
“Ty was the quarterback and I was one of the receivers,” Jonny said. “I got a football scholarship to Missouri Valley College and Ty went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Cleveland Browns.
One year after graduating from Southwest High School in 1987, Jonny started recording for Joey International; and in 1989 was hired as a DJ at KEDA, Radio Jalapeño, followed by KRIO.
“The promoters, the program directors and the old club owners were all gone by the time I went out on my own, so from that point forward, I had to take the reins since the new, young PDs and promoters didn’t know my dad. So I continued the musical education by learning on my own.”
In 2001, Jonny formed AMI Records, his own label, and recently released his seventh compact disc. He has performed his party-hearty songs with boundless enthusiasm in 39 states plus Monterrey, San Luis Potosi and Durango, Mexico.
As for Jonny’s numerous achievements and accomplishments, this writer could rephrase what is on-line at www.jonnymartinez.net, www.facebook.com/jonnymartinez2 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Martínez. Instead he will bring you up-to-date with his latest CD.
It is obvious that the leader of Grupo Bravo looks up to his father and it is because of his admiration for him that he chose to record many of his father’s hits and why he titled his seventh compact disc, “Admirando a Mi Padre.”
‘”Dad, let’s record all your favorite songs and the only one we didn’t record was ‘Nadie Nos Separa.’ But it was hard to do this album because he sang with an orchestra so we had two trumpets and two saxophones while my style is accordion and bajo sexton,” the vocalist who earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix said. “
So it was very difficult for me because of the orchestrated arrangements. Not knowing how to handle a different register and the potential of what the horns do was also very difficult. So I want to give Mario Vigil credit for the entire album because he did the rhythmic arrangements and for his musical contributions since he played guitar, bass, guitar, keyboards and even accordion on this production. And he’s so fast you want to work with him more.
A few months later, they held a CD Release party and after the father-son joined voices to sing every other verse of “Los Laureles” and “Caminos Chuecos,” Martínez says, “Dad was overwhelmed with emotion and so content that he was teary-eyed as he sang the last verse. Then looking at me straight in the eye, he asked, ‘Is this my last performance?’ in a wonderment sort of way.”
No way, since truth be told, Anselmo Martínez will be singing “Caminos Chuecos,” which has incidentally been recorded by 62 groups/bands, plus other hits during the upcoming 2016 Tejano Music Legends Cruise.
Other songs in this CD are “Amorcito Consentido,” one of Anselmo’s favorites and “Un Ratón,” which has a double connotation – just listen to it and figure it out. A hint is that it refers to the part of the body where the sun doesn’t shine. The list continues with “Mi Nombre Completo,” “Hasta Que Llegaste Tu,” an old Aguilares hit, “El Paraiso,” a gospel song Anselmo wrote, but recorded with a La Fiebre feel to it, and the beautiful, haunting “No Olvides Que Te Quiero,” which Anselmo sings in duet with Crystal Caballero.
“Then there’s ‘Anoche’ which dad wrote as a bolero and we did as a ranchera. We did happy-go-lucky lilt ala Jay Pérez with lots of progressive chords and it came out bad ass,” Jonny explained.
“I wrote the lyrics to ‘Te Quiero Dar Mi Amor’ for my fiancé when I was with her. I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to be married to her,’ so I say, ‘mi esposa.’ It’s very poetic and my son was going to do a little rap on it, but it didn’t happen. This is the single that I’m promoting right now.
“As for ‘Mi Ranchito,’ it’s about that place that is sacred to one because that’s home and that’s kind of the way that I wanted my dad to be,” said the 46-year-old artist.
Today, he could change that title to “Mi Crusero” since cruise ships is where Jonny and an impressive list of Tejano artists, plus his father have been entertaining Tejano music fans for three years.
It all came about after Jacob Dominguez jumped ship and abandoned the original crew. “Wild Bill” Perkins, who plays trumpet with Rubén Ramos and leads Calle Seis, decided to continue the project, but lacked the necessary financial backing – enter Al Duarte, a prominent label owner, plus a travel agent and they were ready to set sail. Cruise Connection, a company that caters to fans who love to cruise and listen to live Tejano music, was formed with Perkins as CEO, Jonny, COO and Duarte as CFO.
Little Joe boosted their attendance last year and this year, it is virtually sold-out with Grammy Award winner / living legend, Sunny Ozuna, headlining this year’s roster of most-popular stars.
The good news is that there’re still a few vacancy cabins.
Other Tejano artists slated to perform during this cruise are Grammy Award winners, Rubén Ramos, Hugo Guerrero, Ricardo Castillón, Chente Barrera and Jess López; Latin Grammy Award winning Joe Posada, Latin Grammy Award nominee David Marez plus Patsy Torres, Joe Jama, René and Jessy Serrata, Chris Rivera, Nikki López and Crystal Caballero.
And don’t forget that you can get up close and personal with all the stars at the meet-and-greets, the question-and-answer sessions, photo ops, autograph parties, plus after each performance during the Carnival Tejano Legends seven (7) day cruise, hosted by two-time Grammy Award winner, Raulito Navaira.
For more information, go to www.cruiseconnectionlive.com, call (512) 375-5711 or email media@cruiseconnectionlive.com.
ANSELMO MARTÍNEZ: A TRUE MUSIC PIONEER
ANSELMO MARTÍNEZ: A TRUE MUSIC PIONEER
by: Ramon Hernadez
Anselmo “Chemiro” Martínez was a star before music was termed conjunto, orquesta música tejana, la onda Chicana or Tejano music.
Martínez was born on April 21, 1927 in Donley, Texas and raised in Hondo. As for his nickname, Chemo, as he was called at home, said it came about as the result of a first grade school Valentine Day’s party.
“You see, I got his card from my cousin Juanita ‘Janie’ Alcorta; and when the teacher read the name on the envelope, she pronounced it ‘Chemiro’ and it stuck,” Martínez said during an interview at his Westside San Antonio home.
Then without wasting one minute as he showed this writer dozens of rare photographs and records, he began to talk about his roots.
“In the 1930’s we had no newspapers, no radio, no television, no nothing. The only songs I heard were those my father and uncle sang without a mike at the bailes en los cuatro vientos (open air dances) in the ranches.”
His father, Jesús Martínez, played a 12-string guitar and sang in duet with his uncle, José Martínez, who played accordion and did second voice. Cruz Ramírez, also on accordion; and Isidro Sauceda, on violin, made up the rest of the group.
“I learned the songs they sang, ‘Clavelito,’ ‘La Malcornadora,’ ‘Las Gaviotas’ and ‘El Corrido de Los Barrientos,’ he continued. “The corrido, which was a way for people to get their news, was based on an actual 1928 story, which happened in Hondo.”
He was seven when his mother died and his father put his guitar in a flour sack and hung it on a nail on the wall. After mourning his wife for a year, his father took down his guitar.
“That’s when I started tinkering with it,” Martínez said. At 11, he made his artistic debut singing “El Rancho Grande” and “Adios María” at St. John’s Catholic Church in Hondo. From that day on, he sang Spanish-language hymns at Mass each Sunday.
In 1945, he was drafted into the Army-Air Force. During this period, he recorded “Ventanita Reja De Oro” and “Luna Platiada” direct to acetate. “It was just me and my guitar,” Martínez said.
“In 1946, I wound up in Chicago where there was one radio station that had two hours of Spanish music on Saturdays; and another station that had one hour on Sunday.”
Upon his return home, he formed El Conjunto Guana de Anselmo Martínez with Ernesto Gauna, on accordion; and Reymundo García, on drums. Not losing any time, they recorded “Bella Paloma” backed by “En Hondo Me Enamore,” then “Mi Chevrolet Coupe” backed by “Estrellita De La Vida.”
In 1948, he made his radio debut at KVOU in Uvalde. “I had to do 30 minutes and I couldn’t talk,” Martínez said laughing at the recollection. “I was shaking all over and I froze. I could only show the disc jockey a paper with the song titles – which he read. The first song I sang was ‘Comprame.’ ”
By late 1949, he had become known as “El Trovador Tejano” and he modernize his 12-string guitar with an electric pickup. In view of the word “Tejano” in his title and asked if he was the first Tejano singer, the music pioneer said, “Tejano is not a style. It just meant you came from Texas.”
In 1955, he decided to make San Antonio his home and purchased a home on Irma Avenue in the city’s Westside. However, he kept his full-time job in Hondo. That same year, he became part of the “Compositores y Vocalistas de Texas” one-hour live-television show where he sang “Todavia Yo Existo.” Other artists featured on this program, hosted by Maber, were Rosita Fernández, Lydia Mendoza, Las Hnas Mendoza, José Morante, Emma Hernández, Ada García, Daniel Garzes, Hilda Jiménez, Andy Álvarez and Trio Las Conquistadores.
Then Rosita Fernández invited him to appear on a WOAI-TV program hosted by Nick Paul. “This opened the doors for me to appear on other programs,” the Tejano Music Hall of Fame inductee said. “Programs such as ‘Red River Dave,’ who asked me if I had a charro outfit, I didn’t have one. But I went to Laredo and bought one to do the program. I guess he thought all Mexican singers had to wear a charro suit.”
Martínez also appeared on the “Arthur Godfrey Talent Show” and was invited to appear on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” but was unable to accept.
In 1956, the 88-year-old living legend joined the Pete Portillo Orchestra, where he sang and played guitar, and started touring all over Texas until 1958. Up to this time, Martínez had not recorded as El Trovador, or with Portillo’s orchestra.
Noting the success of Isidro López, Juan Colorado, Balde Gonzales, Chris Sandoval, Mike Ornelas and other orchestra leaders, on January 10, 1959, after rehearsing a group of six musicians, the Anselmo Martínez Orchestra joined their ranks and made their debut at the Olmos Dinner Club.
“It was easy to get gigs without people hearing the orchestra because they had already seen and heard me sing with Pete Portillo,” Martínez said.
Martínez, vocals and guitar; Jimmy Carranza, bass; Paulino Olguin, trumpet; Jesse Olguin, saxophone; Robert Felan, saxophone; and Ernesto Flores, drums; made up the orchestra.
According to Martínez, the first single he recorded was “Te Vi La Prueba” and “Vuelve A Mi Vida” for Jaimé Wolf’s Rio Records, who only used one microphone for both vocalist and orchestra. Still both songs became hits.
Next came “Lloro Por Ti” and “La Trinidad Polka,” a 78 rpm single, on Manuel Rángel’s RMC (Rángel Music Co.) label aka Corona Records.
“This time we recorded the single with one microphone for the vocalist and a second mike for the entire orchestra,” Martínez recalled.
“Nadie Nos Separara” and “Caminos Chuecos” followed and the latter became their all-time greatest hit. It is a tune that has been recorded by, at last count, 65 different vocalists and groups. By now Rángel had 24 singles he could package into albums and the company released four albums on the RMC label.
His second album for RMC contained “El Chemiro,” an instrumental with such a unique rhythm that it became a new popular dance.
“I created a two-step dance. We had dancers and even printed a bunch of bumper stickers with the steps to the ‘Chemiro’ dance.
It was during this period that Anselmo and Jimmy Martínez recorded an album for José Morante’s Sombrero label. Next the two brothers plus Trini Martínez united to record La Muerte de José album on Del Mar Records as Los Famosos Hermanos – Los Tres Martínez.
“My music had a style that couldn’t be copied,” Martínez said. “Although my forte was the romantic bolero, I could play to a Cuban or Puerto Rican audience.”
The Tejano Music Hall of Fame inductee was so popular, Antonio Aguilar, who had met with Martínez at the Gunter Hotel here, flew him to Mexico City where he offered him a part in “El Mujeriejo,” but Martínez was afraid to leave the security of his full-time job in Hondo. Little did Martínez realize he would be so much in demand, that he would wind up quitting the next year and go on to make tens of thousands of fans happy from coast-to-coast in forty states.
In 1965, Martínez formed Chemiro Records. Four albums and over 100 singles later, he was unable to keep up with the demands of touring and heading a record label. So his brother Trini Martínez took over and changed the label’s name to BEMA after his wife, Bertha Martínez.
During his lengthy career, Martínez shared the stage with Bill Haley and the Comets, Trio Los Panchos, Celia Cruz y Sonora Mantancera, Pablo Beltran Ruiz, Mike Laurie, Irma Dorantes, Sonora Santanera, Lalo Guerrero, Maríano Merceron and Vicente Fernández to name a few.
“The youngest of my four children, John Martín Martínez, was born in 1969 and my wife started taking him to my dances since before he could walk and by four, he would take his toy guitar and stand between my guitar and bass players. He was never shy; and years later he would play the güiro,” the hall of fame inductee said of the recording artist we now know as Jonny Martínez.
As a band-leader, Martínez was responsible to giving many of today’s best known musicians their first chance, when they were just wet-behind-the-ear kids. Some of those musicians are Henry Balderrama, Dimas García and Danny Pérez, guitar; Cruz Hernández, bass; Joe Revélez, keyboards; Al Gómez and Charlie McBurney, trumpet; Louie Bustos and Abel Hernández, alto and tenor saxophone; plus Lencho Trujillo, accordion and bass. And even Joe Farias even recorded with Martínez.
Asked who he owed his success to; Martínez answered, “I have a daughter that’s a nun. She’s always prayed for me. And I believe that if I reached the top, it was because of her prayers. She is Sister Betty Ann Martínez, now mother superior in Newton, New Jersey,” the unstoppable 88-year-old musician said.
“I also got all my musical talents from my father. When I sing the songs I learned from him, I can still actually hear his voice; and I try to sing those songs as I remember him singing them.”
The last version of his orchestra, Martínez, vocals; Larry, accordion; Rubén García, guitar; Tony, bass; Tony Muñiz, saxophone; his nephew Jerry Martínez, trumpet; Max González, trumpet; and his oldest son Ricardo “Rick” Martínez, drums; officially called it quits in 1978.
During his long career, Martínez also recorded for the Cobra, Aguarela, and Magda labels.
So whatever happened to Anselmo Martínez? Truth be told, Martínez has not really stopped recording, or performing.
In fact, he and his son Jonny just held a CD Release Party at the Cadillac Bar on September 22 to introduce Admirando A Mi Padre, which includes seven of Chemiro’s compositions/hits from “Caminos Chuecos,” “Anoche”from the Sombrero album, “Mi Nombre Completo” from the Del Mar DM-1003 album to the hauntingly beautiful “No Te Olvides Que Te Quiero” ballad, the latter in duet with his granddaughter, Crystal M. Caballero – also “El Paraiso,” an awe inspiring gospel tune from his Christian CD.
As for the rest of the many Anselmo Martínez Orchestra musicians, the near-90 bandleader lowered his head and pointed to an album cover as he sadly said, “Jesse Herrera (trumpet player) and I are the only two remaining members from this production. So we’re all fading away.”
As for his next live performance, the pioneer orchestra leader and Jonny will be performing as part of the Tejano Legends seven-day cruise on a Carnival ship that sails from Galveston on Saturday, January 9 and returns on Saturday, January 16.
For more information, go to www.cruiseconnectionlive.com, call (512) 375-5711 or email media@cruiseconnectionlive.com.
Alamo City Comic Con Experience 2015
Story by: David A. De La Rosa
Photographs by: Joseph Martinez & Ramon Hernandez
Alamo City Comic Con Experience 2015
I have for a full year been greatly anticipating the third installment of the Alamo City Comic Con. I’ve missed the excitement, and festival like atmosphere of this event. I was very pleased with the event as a whole, and everyone who attended I’m sure were not disappointed.
For those people who have never attended a comicon, let me reiterate for past articles I’ve written on this topic. This is an event where people are encouraged to dress up in costume as their favorite superhero or villain. For the record my observations for this year’s most worn costume was a tossup between Deadpool and Harley Quinn.
There were many celebrities that attended this event for autograph and photo-op sessions. Any comic con attendee can meet with some of their favorite TV, and film stars with certain VIP passes. Fans can go into an auditorium for a Q&A panel (i.e. Stan Lee, The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, etc.), and speak with some of their favorite film or television personalities. I myself sat in on no less than six panels all of which were very informative and entertaining.
There are vendors there selling merchandise that run the gambit between inexpensive pin back buttons to high end statues of superheroes. I personally get a kick out people buying awesome looking replica light sabers. There were also many published artists selling signed prints of their artwork.
This year I was glad to see that there was a children’s area sponsored by local educational institutions (i.e. The San Antonio Public Library, The San Antonio Zoo, and The Witte Museum). Last year some of these groups were in attendance, but they didn’t have the interactive children’s activities they had for the con this year. Along with the interactive activities there were huge moon bounces, for the kids to play in; this was a great rest area. We all know sometimes the little ones get disinterested, and parents need to rest their feet.
This year had live wrestling courtesy of River City Wrestling, (an organization with no affiliation with our website), and matches were performed periodically throughout the three days of the con (https://www.facebook.com/rcwforever). I enjoyed the matches that I saw, and it reminded me of when I was a kid and went to see wrestling at the Freemen Coliseum. I hope next year’s con will have more RCW.
I enjoy many aspects of this comic con people watching, shopping for merchandise, viewing artwork. The one thing I love above all of these aspects of this show is attending Q&A panels. The panels are great for people who can afford a ticket to the con, but cannot afford a VIP pass this is their opportunity to get access to their favorite stars. As I stated before I attended no less than six panels, all were entertaining and gave me new insights on the celebrities being paneled. The one Q&A session that stood out, was the one that I half heartedly attended.
The Edward James Olmos panel blew me away, and a more in depth separate article will be posted on our website about this panel experience. Mr. Olmos was a very charismatic, animated, intelligent man; he answered every question eloquently and fully. He spoke to the panel audience about politics, his Latino experience in Hollywood, and his film career. I have been a fan of his for years, and I have much respect for him because of his leading role in the Battlestar Galactica reboot. I never expected such an authentic discussion, and that was the only reason I didn’t pay much attention too attending that panel. A little advice to the organizers of the Alamo City Comic Con who might read this piece, please invite Mr. Olmos back for next year’s con, he was awesome.
I can see that this event has grown in scope and popularity as a premier comic con destination since its inception. I like some of the changes that have been implemented in this con. There was a major improvement with announcing scheduled events and changes with a free downloadable AP. The layout of exhibition halls were more spread out with regards to the artist tables any observer can see foot traffic moved more steadily than in the past conventions. I thought this made the attendance seem smaller in number as compared to last year but that was only my perception, because of the lack of crowd clutter. To my knowledge attendance records have not been released yet.
I did have one major criticism with regards to the major Q&A panels, and that was the location. In the past two comic cons the major panels were held in the rather large Lila Cockrell Theatre stage. The major panels this year were held in ballroom B, which according to a comic con official had a seating capacity of 1,250 seats. I believe individuals like Stan Lee an American icon deserves the large stage. That same large stage is better suited to accommodate a large ensemble cast of some of our favorite television shows.
I know the reason for this switch was made to accommodate screening films for the Alamo City Film Festival which was running concurrently with the comic con. My humble suggestion is that maybe the film festival could run films everyday all week long, and the weekend the theatre stage can be used for the comic cons major panels. I think that expanding the film festival to run all week long could attract more films and stars to the comic con, as well as utilize the theatre stage for the con.
I enjoyed attending this convention and I look forward to the continual grown of this event. I think that we have much to be proud of here in San Antonio, and this event reflects well on all of us. All the visitors form different parts of country if not the world have gained a better appreciation of what San Antonio is all about, because of an event like our Alamo City Comic Con.
Roxanne is Divine
Roxanne is Divine
By Ramón Hernández
Roxanne hails from Devine. She is a fox and is delightfully divine.
The adjective is also fitting because this young songbird has truthfully and honestly been the recipient of lifesaving divine intervention, but more on that later.
For starters, Henry Balderrama of La Patria is her maternal cousin and his son, Rick, is her second cousin. Therefore, she was born into a musical family.
“Henry lived in Castroville, but I was five and living with my grandmother, Arcilia Balderrama née Guajardo Gonzales in Devine when his entire band would show up for backyard barbeques, set up and perform. And I was always amazed with the sound they created because their style was first, second and third voices. So I was just in awe of their harmonies,” Roxanne said during an interview at the Hispanic Entertainment Archives.
Growing up, she loved to sing as she cleaned her room, but she did so with her door tightly shut; and it was not until Christmas Eve 1989, when her little sisters and cousins put on a show for the family, and as they finished, they pointed to her and said, “It’s your turn.” Then, to entice her, they started pulling out money.
“I chose to sing ‘Crazy’ by Patsy Cline. However, I sang with my back to them because I was that shy. When I finished, everyone was very quiet and I was thinking, ‘say something, do something’ because I didn’t know what to think of their silence. Then they burst out clapping,” Roxanne said of the evening her family found out God had blessed her with a voice.
Highly impressed with her vocals, her mother’s brother, Albert Gonzales, who played bajo sexto with El Conjunto de Beto Sáenz brought her some David Lee Garza tapes and numerous Tejano records; and after listening to them was influenced by Laura Canales.
“He told me that I needed to sing Tejano because it was hot, yet I never imaged myself singing, much less in Spanish,” Roxanne recalled.
Two months later, the then 11-year-old warbler auditioned for and was hired by Brown Image, a country-and-western group founded by the four Gonzales brothers.
Recalling the first time she sang in front of an audience, Roxanne said, “That moment you set foot on stage, you forget all about the entire world because it’s just you, the microphone, the crowd and the vibration of the live music behind you motivating you, giving you the drive and the energy that music brings to you. And I love to dance as I sing. So I’m all over the stage.”
In October 1990 and now 12, she became Roxie T., the lead vocalist for Cariño, a Pearsall, Texas-based Tejano band featuring David Rios, bandleader and drums; Tony Gonzales, accordion; Fernando Ortega, keyboards; Manuel Del Toro, guitar; and Albert Valdez on bass.
“It was complete dedication and good preparation for what was ahead, so I practiced even if I was sick, but I never neglected my studies and still did my homework.”
A year later, when Tejano music was in full bloom, she recorded “Con Permiso Por Favor, “written by her cousin and vocal coach Jesse “Chuy” Flores. Also “La Lamparita,” as a demo for Manny Guerra. It was so good that a week later, Manny asked her mother, Hazel, if he could sign her.
“I always had my books with me and he could see that my education was very important to me. So he thought about it, decided I was too young, that I should finish school because there was still plenty of time for the music.”
In 1992, the now 14-year-old female vocalist joined La Distancia, another Pearsall-based Tejano band. This one featured Rick Chávez, keyboards; Art Rodríguez, guitar; Albert Valdez, bass; and Leo Ortegon on drums.
Next came a six-month stint with Latin Sounds and after this, her fourth band, in late 1994, she decided to form her own group with Tony Gonzales, accordion; Joe Rángel, keyboards; Del Toro, guitar; Moses Garza, Jr., bass; and Ortegon on drums.
By 1995, her band had evolved into Rudy Cortez, accordion; Jessie Martínez, keyboards; Jessie Flores, guitar; Art Hernández and Leonard Esquivel on bass; Javier Villarreal, sax; and Jimmy Edward Treviño, Jr. on drums and Manny released “Descubreme” (“Discover Me”). The single made #1 in Lubbock, where it stayed on the charts nine weeks.
Roxie T and her hit generated a lot of press as the San Antonio Tejano Review and the Corpus Christi Tejano Review wrote rave reviews on the record and full-page articles on who was then, the president of the Business Professionals of America and high school percussionist.
La Prensa de San Antonio’s write up described her voice as sweet and her spirit free … “The moment you hear her sing, the second you see her energetic performance, you’ll agree she’s going to make it big in the Tejano music world.” Then the article ends with “Watch out, because with a wink, a smile, and a song, Roxie will steal your heart.”
In May 1996 and as can be expected, the National Honor Society member graduated from Devine High School with honors. Now she was free to pursue her dreams and goals. The Tejano market was in a slump, but she forged ahead despite fewer venues.
In 2002, the voluptuous singer replaced Missy García as the lead vocalist for La Ralea, which was made up by the former musicians from Cariño and La Distancia – Gonzales, Rángel, Rodríguez, Valdez and Ortegon – in what seemed to be divine intervention.
Then came that inevitable, fatal day on July 31, 2003 when she was jogging and struck down by an F-350.
“A couple that stopped to help the driver look for me found my tennis shoe in the road, but they couldn’t find me. After the police and sheriff’s deputies arrived, they led volunteers on a search party and it took them three hours to find me on the other side of the road. I had landed on a fire ant mound and it served as cushion for my head, but the ants were crawling all over my face and neck. My left leg was broken in three places, I had bled out through my femoral artery and my left arm was pretty bad.
“I was also DOA when they found me. The lady who stopped to help happened to be a nurse and revived me with CPR. Air Life was called, than up in the air, in the helicopter, my heart stopped again and flight nurses revived me again. I was flown to University Hospital where my heart stopped one more time,” Roxanne said.
“After I was revived a third time, a team of doctors decided my body needed to rest and induced me into a coma. After a few days they gave me a blood transfusion and I woke up all by myself.”
When she was released, doctors told her that she would not walk for two to three years and eight months later she proved them wrong by taking her first steps that led to her full recovery.
God had given her the precious gift of life four times. Now he touched and healed her physical ailments. What we do with his gifts is up to us, we just have to keep on praying and never lose hope.
Faced with medical bills, living expenses, other mounting bills and being unable to perform, much less walk, it was time to reassess her priorities and decide how to take care of her earthly problems.
“I’ve always been very spiritual, but when something like this happens, you have to stop to reflect. Every test builds character and I’m a work in progress,” Roxanne said, her words coupled with a sweet smile and a mesmerizing gaze.
“I got home and immediately started researching nursing schools and determined I could become an LVN in one year as opposed to going for RN, which requires three to four years of studies. In winter of 2006, I passed the boards, was certificated and went to work for Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a civilian nurse for STDC (the South Texas Detention Complex).
“After I became an LVN, it was not a question of never singing again. It was going to get done.”
Fate stepped in 2010 when Randy Caballero included Roxanne in two recordings in the movie soundtrack of “In Search of the American Dream.” She sang “Bello Amor” with actor-scriptwriter-director Baldemar Rodríguez plus co-wrote and sang “What It Takes” in duet with Hugo Guerrero.
The following year she rejoined La Ralea with whom Roxanne stayed until 2012. Then the band started to record, but the project never came to fruition, so in September 2013 she decided to take action and entered Gilbert Velásquez’s studio. The curvaceous songbird performed a couple of her new tunes at the 2014 Tejano Music Convention in Las Vegas and her compact disc, which was released on J-Rod Records, was released last October. A month later, she sang alongside Rubén Ramos and David Marez during the grand finale at the Tejano Music Awards.
Not one to procrastinate, she formed her own band with Marcelo Gauna on accordion; Chris Guerrero, keyboards; Jimmy Castillo, guitar; Red Balderrama, bass; and Joe Posada, Jr. on drums; immediately after the awards show.
“Siete Dias,” the first single off this singer-songwriter’s “Desperté Soñando” CD is presently on KXTN’s playlist and now she is promoting “No Te Voy a Rogar” all over Texas and the rest of the United States.
This writer’s personal picks are her heartfelt renditions of Henry and Ricky Balderrama’s “Perdonarte No Puedo” and the poignant “Lo Que Me Lastimaste,” her own composition.
“Today I look at myself in the mirror and I think that God was good to me. I love what I do and my hope is to go as far as I can go, to go above the bar because what I bring to Tejano music is that I sing each song as it has been lived. That’s why I picked tunes that I could relate to for the album, because I want every song to be believable to my audience. I want to make them feel the hurt, the happiness or the passion in every word that comes out of my mouth.
For an insight into Roxanne’s psyche and credo, one must read the inspiring liner notes in her CD which began with “All honor and glory belong to our heavenly Father … for always being there and shinning a path to this unbelievable place … This project began in a dream and He did the rest.”
“I’ve lived all kinds of different situations and circumstances; and because I’m a survivor, I want to incorporate my nursing and visit hospitals and help people. In fact, I’m starting a health blog on YouTube. It’s called Cardio Cumbia and Wellness combining activity and diet,” the thirty-something starlet added.
Roxanne has had her share of discouraging setbacks, but thanks to God, has conquered countless difficulties and obstacles, therefore we at StreetTalk & River City Attractions know that with her tenacity, determination, and perseverance, Roxanne is going to achieve the stardom she deserves.
So there’s much more to Roxanne, but only a few inches of newspaper space to share so much more, as the fact that in spite of her youth, she has a son, Daniel, who plays guitar, has a pretty good vocal tone and will most likely follow his mother’s footsteps.
If you’ve never seen her in action, Roxanne will be performing at the First Annual Hunter’s Festival Friday in Pearsall, Texas on Friday, September 18.
For bookings, contact Hernando “Spiderman” Abilez at (210) 772-1271. You can also e-mail him at dj_spyder2002@yahoo.com.
Cruising with Sunny
Cruising with Sunny
Story and photo by: Ramón Hernández
Remember the mid-1970s when la palomia started cruising in downtown San Antonio in their lowriders and other vehicles with their speakers blaring out Sunny and the Sunglows/Sunliners hits being played from their “8 Track” & cassette decks. “Back then there wasn’t ITunes, mp3’s, Cds”. With a cassette deck we created something that should have been called “MY TUNE”s !
The same was happening from El Paso to Odessa to Corpus Christi, only the name of main drag changed, but the music was the same – “Talk to Me,” “Put Me in Jail,” “Runaway,” “Smile Now, Cry Later,” and other great lowriding rolas.
Now Sunny Ozuna is taking his fans on a different cruising scene — on a Carnival ship that sails from Galveston on Saturday, January 9 and returns on Saturday, January 16.
“This will be my first cruise, so I’m excited, especially about the places that we’re going to see,” the Grammy Award winner said during an interview at his Northeast San Antonio home.
The Caribbean Sea port calls for this cruise are the Mahogany Bay silky sand beaches and diamond-clear seas in Isla Rotan; Honduras; Belize, a former British colony on the eastern coast of Central America; and Cozumel, off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
“We (Sunny and his wife, Janie) were just in Las Vegas and for the first time caught a couple of burlesque shows and I understand the ship features some Vegas-style shows, so we also look forward to seeing those at sea.
During this cruise, Sunny and every artist will be backed up by Calle Seis, the official Tejano Cruise band. Jimmy Edward had nothing but great things to say about his experience, solo que con mas ganas quiero hir (that’s all the more reason I look forward to going).
Another piece of good news is that this Tejano music hall of fame inductee is already in the studio working on his next album and hopefully it will be out in time to buy it as a Christmas present.
Remember when he would release an English album followed by a Spanish album and vice versa; and when he had various titles? i.e. “Little Brown Eyed Soul,” “El Monito de Chocolate,” “The Versatile …,” “El Charro Chaparro,” Young, Gifted and Brown,” “El Internacional,” “El Preferido,” and “El Orgullo de Texas.” Well, this one is titled “El Cancioncero” for his own Keylock record label.
“Es todo (It’s all) Mexicano and a little mariachi, like ‘No Te Vayas Palomita,’ which I originally wrote for Jimmy Edward. Joe Revelez did all the initial tracks on this variation of mariachi, conjunto and Tejano. Then there’s a great beer drinking song titled “’Botella Maldita.’ That means it will have horns with a little bit of accordion,” Sunny explained.
“It certainly has to have actual instruments because electronic generated sounds can never replace what a human musician can produce with has fingers. So when people hear, as an example, ‘Los Chismes,’ which I also wrote, they will go, wow!
“While I prefer the human touch, I want to go into a different level with some of the instruments. So the flutes and some voices will be duplicated electronically for a different upbeat effect that again, will have listeners going, wow. How was that sound created?”
This should whet your appetite on this production. As for the “Gira de Las Leyendas 2015” with Freddie Martínez, Augustine Ramírez, Carlos Guzmán and Joe Bravo, if you or any of your friends missed any of their shows in Texas, they will close out the year with a New Year’s Eve Dance at Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona.
The legends would also love to perform in your state, and/or area. All you have to do is to call Freddie at (361) 992-8411 or Sunny at (210) 653-4802.
In closing, don’t forget that you can get up close and personal with Sunny at the meet-and-greets, the question-and-answer sessions, photo ops, autograph parties, and after each performance during the Carnival Tejano Legends seven (7) day cruise, hosted by two-time Grammy Award winner, Raulito Navaira.
Other Tejano artists slated to perform during this cruise are Grammy Award winners, Rubén Ramos, Hugo Guerrero, Ricardo Castillón, Chente Barrera and Jess López; Latin Grammy Award winning Joe Posada, Grammy Award nominee Jonny Martinez, Latin Grammy Award nominee David Marez plus Anselmo Martínez, Patsy Torres, Joe Jama, René and Jessy Serrata, Chris Rivera, Nikki López and Crystal Caballero.
For more information, go to www.cruiseconnectionlive.com, call (512) 375-5711 or email media@cruiseconnectionlive.com.
SKYROCKET!! The Band
SKYROCKET!! The Band
A rocking fun loving -band. On a typical hot sticky night at SAM’S BURGER JOINT, It’s Skyrocket the band.
I had a super time listening to some awesome classic rock songs executed to perfection.
With a common love of the music of the seventy’s. Sky rocket dose a it right. The place was packed and the music as they would say back in the day was RIGHT ON. .
There was up to seven members on a tightly pack stage and no miss steps. With over 300 songs to choose from there play list, the responsibility did not fall on just one or two members to do the singing. Depending on the tune being played, the person that best fit the song was center stage.
What I mostly like was I never could predict what song was next,
Hook on a feeling, Blondie’s “Heart of glass”, Tom Petty’s “Don’t do me like that”, Abba “Dancing queen” even one song that got me swaying, “Gangsters paradise”.
A sign that you have a good band is by looking at the audience. Feel the VIBE. Jumping up and down, and singing along. Yup that’s what was going on that evening.
After the gig, I talk to some of the band members. Then ask,
How many gigs a year. About 100 to 110 gig’s a year.
Do you play San Antonio often? , about 4 times a year
How did you find the audience tonight? , Terrific a, it was a great night.
If you were to pick your favorite song, what would it be? It’s always changing there is no one song.
Band members are
Benjamin Hotchkiss – vocals, percussion, guitar Darin Murphy – drums, vocals, guitar Johnny Goudie – keyboards, vocals, guitar Kyle Crusham – guitar, keyboards Cory Glaeser – bass guitar, vocals Paul English – guitar, vocals Trish Murphy – vocals, guitar, percussion Chris Gebhard – vocals, guitar, percussion
What type of band would call Sky Rocket? A cover band Or a party band? Some would say both. I say it’s a dam good band. I can’t wait for you guy’s to come on back.
Thanks Sky Rocket.
Story and pictures by: Joseph Martinez
Need more information? Click below.
http://www.skyrockettheband.com/
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16-Year-Old Graduates From Texas A&M
From Doogie Howser, M.D. to Sheldon Cooper, the idea of child prodigies attending college before they can get a driver’s license has often been fodder for sit-com humor. According to 16-year-old Noel Jett, who graduated this month from Texas A&M, although such situations are quirky, the profoundly gifted often struggle emotionally and she hopes to devote her professional life to helping them.Jett, a Fort Worth native, accepted her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the College of Liberal Arts’ commencement ceremony at Reed Arena on May 16.She says most of her professors and fellow students were unaware of her age, and those few in-the-know were supportive.
The Road To Early College
Jett’s unique journey to college began in kindergarten when she was already reading chapter books. When testing revealed she was gifted, her mother chose homeschooling.
“I took two college-level math classes when I was 10 [one online and one taught by a tutor],” she recalls. “When I was 12, I decided to try public school again.”
She started out well in the small, STEM-focused high school, but it “quickly became a difficult experience for me, both socially, in that some people were hateful, and academically as it was several steps backwards.” After one semester, Jett dropped out, returned to home schooling and co-enrolled at Tarrant County College.
At community college, she was able to earn the credits to finish high school and start earning college credits.
She graduated high school at the age of 13, then applied to four universities, including Texas A&M, and was accepted by them all.
“Of the four schools, A&M was the most respectful, helpful and enthusiastic,” she notes. “Everyone I dealt with during the admissions, acceptance and enrollment process was just really nice. It was also the most affordable.”
It helped that her experience with Texas A&M began years before. “I had been attending the Physics and Engineering Festival here since I was pretty young, as well as SEE-Math camp. Even then, people were very kind and helpful.”
Being An Aggie
Jett says life as an Aggie was challenging and exciting; she took part in a number of extracurricular activities. “I really enjoyed Elephant Walk,” she recalls. “And I had an amazing time at Big Event.” She also writes for Texas A&M’s satirical newspaper, “The Mugdown,” and is a member of Cepheid Variable, a student organization comprised of science-fiction/fantasy fans.
“I helped out at AggieCon [Cepheid Variable’s annual convention] and the Aporkalypse, the end of the year celebration that includes probably 20 different meat dishes!
“But I’m most involved in Young Americans for Liberty, a political group through which I’ve been able to attend a lot of fun conferences, including one in D.C. – definitely one of my most memorable college experiences.”
Another memorable experience happened last fall when she won $25,000 on the game show “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” during “Whiz Kids Week.”
“It was so much fun,” she shares. “And it was so much money, it didn’t seem real. Like it was just numbers, not real money, even though I knew it was. The whole experience was just surreal.”
Jett has spent much of her time at Texas A&M conducting research on such subjects as gender differences in computer use. “I’ve learned so much from all the research I’ve done; it’s been interesting and really valuable. I’ve met a lot of great people,” she notes.
A Future Dedicated To Helping Others
Her interest in psychology and her experiences being profoundly gifted have inspired Jett to pursue a career advocating for gifted students and their families. She plans to pursue her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Gifted and Talented.
And she says she’ll continue her research into the intersections between neuroscience, addiction, suicide, depression, adolescents and giftedness.
“My community faces a lot of struggles and they go unnoticed because the smart kid is seen as lucky, when really the smart kid isn’t always treated like a human,” she asserts. “Bullying is a big issue for a lot of us.”
Jett’s mother, Nancy Withers Shastid, who also started college at an early age, 16, says while she was nervous about the challenges her daughter would face attending college so young, “Noel has an intellectual vitality beyond her years, but more importantly, a social maturity and perceptiveness about people.” That, she says, made the choice for radical acceleration easier.
Jett says being gifted is “not just about being better at math, it’s a different mindset and it comes with pain and struggle. People have told me things like ‘Wow, you’re so smart, you should cure cancer!’ Why does that responsibility fall on me? That’s not my field. Of course they don’t mean any harm, but I don’t want to be compared to a TV character.”
Shastid says she’s of course overwhelmed with pride for her daughter’s intellectual gifts, but says what she’s most proud of “is her desire to serve others, whether it be on a church mission trip, at a homeless shelter, or just being a friend to those in need.”
Martha Tijerina: The First Female Hispanic Anchor
Martha Tijerina: The First Female Hispanic Anchor
By: Ramón Hernández
Before Martha Tijerina there were no female reporters or anchors in Spanish-language television. Therefore this trailblazer went down in television broadcasting history as “The First Female Reporter and Anchor in Spanish-Language Television.”
Others have laid claim to this honor and shame on the writer that believed them. For example, in Barbara J. Love’s book, “Feminists who Changed America,” she cites Theresa Gutiérrez as “the first Hispanic woman to break into television journalism, then became host of a weekly television program in Chicago,” in 1978.
Tijerina is also the first Latina talk show host and first director of public affairs.
Everyone wants to be ‘the first,’ as Lucy Pereda touts herself as the first Latina anchor in Miami. Others claim to fame is being the first Latina anchor in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities. In fact Minerva Pérez, who was Houston’s first Latina anchor even published her own autobiography, “I Gotta Story – My 30 Years in TV News,” and the list goes on and on.
It was downright sad when this writer read that María Elena Salinas was the first Latina TV reporter to receive “Premio Leyenda Del Périodismo” for being the most recognized in the entire nation. With all due respect to this fine, talented, superb reporter, I am not knocking her, but she didn’t become a TV reporter until eleven years after audiences first saw Tijerina on television and this makes Tijerina a genuine “living legend.” Again, someone did not do their homework.
Google “First Latina anchor” and who pops up? Daisy Fuentes, who became MTV’s first Latina NJ, eighteen years after Tijerina made her television debut.
Not only was Tijerina “the first,” period, but she also created the mold for all others to follow. She set the path and opened the door for the next generation of young Latinas and that is of monumental importance.
Before Cristina Saralegui began her TV career (in 1989), María Antonietta Collins, Lili Estefan, María Elvira Salazar and Bárbara Bermudo to name a few, Tijerina was already a seasoned veteran.”
When Martha Tijerina went on the air, María Celeste Arrarás was ten, ABC 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas was eight, former sportscaster and “Inside Edition” anchor Lisa Guerrero was six, former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien was four, and Natalie Morales, who anchors the “Today Show” and appears on “Dateline NBC” and “NBC Nightly News” was two.
Yes, it was in May 1970 that local viewers saw a beautiful, very classy, yet gutsy, energetic, inquisitive, ultra-intelligent Tijerina for the first time.
Today, Latina TV reporters number in the hundreds, but since sex sells, stations are seeking out the hottest looking, the sexiest Latina with the longest legs and great cleavage to hire as news reporters, traffic reporters, weather girls, sportscasters and anchors. If you don’t believe me and you want to get an upset stomach, check out http://thechive.com/2010/11/10/2-assets-to-boost-your-television-ratings-and-by-assets-i-mean-breastzszsz-22-photos. Okay, enough ranting and raving.
Incidentally and for those readers whose inquiring minds want to know, it’s a toss-up between Tamron Hall and Carole Simpson being the “first African American woman television anchor,” since both made their debut four years after “the first Mexican American television anchor in the United States.
When I first contacted Tijerina about being selected to receive the Alberto Alegre Award and that I was going to write an article on her, her biggest concern and request is that I keep the piece simple and above all, in tune to the humble person that she is. But how could I comply when I realized that during her television career, she was interviewing people that pupils now study in textbooks, people that now have schools, clinics, recreation centers, parks, streets and highways named after them; and that makes her a contemporary historian.
She interviewed Raza Unida/Chicano movement activist leaders, advocates, a Mexican president (Luis Echeverria), an American vice president (George H.W. Bush), first Ladys (Barbara Bush and Mary Esther Zuno) plus local to national politicians, judges, clergymen (bishops and archbishops), national and international luminaries, prominent businessmen and women, military war veterans, Hispanic soldiers who earned a Purple Heart, VIPs, movers and shakers, but most important, she reported on the social, economic and cultural issues in the Alamo City.
History was being made and the former folkloric dancer was in the front lines reporting on their every move and action. Among her first interviews were those with the Good Government League (GGL) City Councilman/later Mayor Pro Tem Felix B. Treviño and Bishop Patrick F. Flores, the “first Hispanic Bishop in this nation.”
“I could have done a program on trivial subjects, but I wanted to know what made people tick, like asking a judge to explain, in detail, what they do. I also wanted to wake up people and teach on pressing issues as I spoke to the people that were the pillars of San Antonio,” Tijerina said over a cup of coffee and a taco at Mi Tierra Restaurant.
“I would spend all day on the streets with a cameraman, take notes, then run back to the station to report, and my thing was not reading the news, but being in the middle of it all.”
On the entertainment side, the bell-bottom pants wearing enthusiastic journalist interviewed internationally known singers, radio, television and film personalities such as Raúl Velásco, Rafael, Don Silvestre Vargas (founder of Mariachi Vargas), Vicente Fernández, Juan Gabriel and countless others who entered the doors of KWEX-TV to be interviewed by Tijerina because she was our own Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey rolled into one. It is also hard to image how many stars she spoke to when you consider she virtually covered every celebrity who set foot in the Durango Street Univision building.
And to think that her initial dream and goal was to be a Mexican consul.
“My first step in achieving that goal was to take a job at the Mexican Cultural Institute during Hemisphere ’68,” the television icon said.
Two years later, the institute’s director, Alberto Mijango told her that Emilio Nicolas, Sr. was looking for a young lady to put on-camera in what was the ‘first Spanish-language television network in the United States.’
“I was 23 when the first thing I did was a Lemon Fresh Joy TV commercial and that went well considering that I had no acting experience, but the most pleasant surprise is that because it was an American market Procter and Gamble product, I later got residuals,” the petite television pioneer said with a happy laugh.
“This was also a ‘first’ because it was the first commercial without lip sync, without someone doing a Spanish voiceover over an English-language commercial. Then I started reporting, doing commentaries and anchoring with Marcelo Marini.
“The Chicano (Civil Rights) Movement was in full swing throughout Texas, California, New Mexico and Colorado, Raúl Yzaguirre had already founded the Southwest Council of La Raza, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund) was already in existence and that’s when I went on-the-air to host ‘En San Antonio.’
Hence, a then 24-year-old Tijerina with long loose dark-brown hair or braided pigtails down to her tiny waist went on to interview César Chávez and José Ángel Gutiérrez, who formed La Raza Unida Party; who were two of the ‘Horsemen of the Chicano Movement.” The others were Corky González and Reis López Tijerina, no relation to Martha.
Tijerina also interviewed Ramsey Muñiz, José A. Cardenas, Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas, Demetrio Rodríguez and some Brown Berets. “All those people were in the studio.”
“In 1974, Chicano movement organizer William (Willie) C. Velásquez founded the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Yzaguirre became the CEO of the National Council of La Raza and all these founding fathers came to speak out on my show.
“I admired the way Willie project what he believed in; and I remember the Chicano movement so well because there were so many young lawyers, so many brilliant minds and I was blessed that I was placed in their path as an outlet by Divine Providence because all this fascinated me.”
By July 1974, the pretty Monterrey native had become the champion and informer of the city’s Hispanic community, had captured the hearts of San Antonio’s Spanish-speaking television watchers and this resulted in an article by Aziz Shihab in the SA Express-News.
In 1975, Henry Cisneros was elected to the city council and Tijerina formed a new alliance. Then there was Cecilio García-Camarillo, who founded and edited Caracol: La Revista de la Raza and they became more of the community-oriented journalist’s endless list of guests.
“It was when a gathering of different early Chicano groups united at the Municipal Auditorium that I chopped my hair and started wearing wigs,” revealed the still stunning former mini-skirted anchor.
“During that meeting, they stated that ‘the enemy of the Mexican American is the Mexican and Mexican American malista (basically translates to the Mexican crab syndrome) and the Anglo racist.’
“My spirituality developed with my father and mother (Magdalena), however, this gathering heightened mi espiritismo.”
While Tijerina credits Archbishop Flores as her then spiritual advisor, when it comes to television, she says, “My great teacher was Emilio Nicolas, Sr. who spoke to me directly on a daily basis. And I have great respect and admiration for him because he made Univision. The biggest Spanish-language television pioneer was him. I saw him visualize it. I saw him do it. He was like a football player going for a touchdown and I saw him realize his vision.
“He was the master builder of a television network and advertising agencies for the Hispanic market would not exist if not for Spanish-language TV. Therefore, he is above us.”
It was also in 1975 that KWEX-TV launched the Telethon Navideño to offer much needed help to needy families during the holidays.
“This came about when Archbishop Flores told Mr. Nicolas of the poor people’s plight; and what we essentially did was to help people pay their water and electricity bills at a time when utilities were very expensive,” said the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame inductee.
Emilio Nichols became the architect. He laid out his plans before her, placed her in charge of organizing the Catholic Archdiocese project. Now, as an event coordinator, she became the most instrumental person in executing his orders for what became an annual star-studded fund-raiser.
By 1976, the television journalist, who endeared herself to the people due to her heartfelt sincerity, had become the media darling of the San Antonio Express-News and San Antonio Light as her name popped up in writer’s columns and they wrote full-fledged articles on her. This was also the year that she received her first award.
A few years later, she went to Rome and had a private audience with Pope Paul VI.
By the 1980s, the popular anchor was cited as being the “most influential media representative in San Antonio.”
Today, her awards take up over one-third of her resume and that’s with leaving out “Woman of the Year,” lifetime achievement plaques, advocate plus humanitarian awards, trophies and other accolades. Therefore, they are too numerous to list, but one of the most prestigious was receiving Las Primeras Award in the field of communications and for making a national impact on the Hispanic community. This honor was bestowed on her in 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Somewhere along the way and during her busy schedule, Tijerina got her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Our Lady of the Lake and her Master of Arts degree from UTSA. And slowly but slowly, her hair became progressively lighter, and just like Shakira, she went from brunette to blonde.
In 1989, she left KWEX-TV and moved to Los Angeles, then to Arlington, Virginia, where she embarked on a new career with the federal government as an interpreter for the U.S. Immigration Court. But before she left, on July 16, KWEX-41 purchased a full-page in the Express-News thanking the network’s biggest star for 20 years of dedication and loyalty. She returned in 1996 and to this day, has continued to serve as an interpreter.
It was also this year that she started as a volunteer talk show host producing program for Catholic Television of San Antonio (CTSA) and as she says, each time there’s a turnover in archbishops, I expect this to end, but they haven’t told me to leave yet.”
Once back in the Alamo City, the well-known community advocate, successful fundraiser/event organizer and strong believer in education continued to find causes and ways to help the community, the latest being to institute the fabulous Holiday Annual GED Brunch to raise funds to assist low-income students obtain money to take the GED test and also help them go to college.
This are but a handful of reasons that CPS Energy recognized her with a full color page ad in the Express-News.
Believe it or not, this article barely touches the surface of this role model’s accomplishments and achievements. Also, most impressive and for the credibility of the few that may challenge her, Tijerina has oodles of photographs and archives of all her television interviews, not to mention her gig as a circus ring master, as a Tejano music awards presenter and her early years as a professional dancer.
Furthermore, Tijerina has so many anecdotes and so many lessons to relate, she should take the advice of what everyone has urged her to do, to write her own book.
In gratitude from our community, this Good Samaritan and philanthropist, whose television career spans four decades will receive the Alberto Alegre Award during a dinner on Thursday, May 7. The event is open to the public with a cost of $10 for a delicious meal and meeting with the awardees.
For more information, call Alberto at (210) 584-7921.
