Catching Up With Johnny Hernández
Photo by Ramón Hernández
Catch him if you can because Johnny Hernández keeps on keeping on.
It’s been twenty-seven years since Johnny Hernández left La Familia to go solo and there are no signs of slowing down this creative award winning vocalist.
During the last two years, he produced two albums, “Sincerely – Oldies Relived” for Valentina Estrada on which he sang all the backup vocals; and early this year, “Gracias Por Todos Los Éxitos,” his first ‘Best of’ compilation album.
And none of his accomplishments have gone unnoticed since in 2001, he was inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame and most recently, on October 11, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his fifty years in the industry from the Fox USA Tejano Globe Awards.
The event took place in the Humble Texas Civic Center. On accepting the award, the first words out of the 68-year-old living legend’s mouth were, “Wow, it seems like it took a lifetime to get this.”
All joking aside, he continued, “I’m very pleased and honored to receive this award. It’s been a long journey and the most wonderful thing about it is that I met fans that have been there throughout my entire career.
I’m very happy that the Tejano Globe Awards are new addition to our Tejano music industry because it gives more artists the opportunity of inclusion. It represents Tejano music on a global scale and it helps to continue the steady growth of our genre.
“I wish to thank Fox USA and all the committee members, in particular Xavier Chavarrilla for contacting me in regard to the awards and for all his hard work to make this entity a reality.”
As for the future, we can look forward to Johnny’s much-awaited new compact disc, the title to be revealed at a later date.
“This CD will define who I am as an artist, producer, arranger and songwriter/composer,” Johnny continued. “Most of the songs have never been recorded by any other artists and a couple of them are classic standards which I have never recorded before.
“By design, some of the arrangements reflect true Tejano music from the late 1960s to the late ‘70s ala the Latinaires, La Familia, Sunny and the Sunliners, Alfonso and Rubén Ramos, etcetera. And some of the arrangements are also polkas rancheras with horns as well, but with a more modern concept. Included are some of my own originals and songs written by prolific songwriters such as Humberto “Beto” Ramón, Cuco Sánchez, Héctor Valadez, Frank A. Villarreal and Vic “Nash” Espinoza.”
The CD, which is produced by the Tejano music icon, is scheduled to be released in late February or early March and is arranged by Johnny and Lawrence “The Wiz” Tarin is to be released on Matthew and Joy Gutiérrez’s CR Records label in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
For bookings call (505) 453-7244 and for more information go to www.johhnyhernandez.biz.