RiverCityAttractions
Bobby Esquivel Takes Liberty with his Band
Roberto Guerra Esquivel, the band leader of one of Tejano music’s most enduring bands, is unique in that he is unlike any other musician.
“There are no musicians or singers in either side of my parent’s families and I can’t say I was influenced or inspired to become a musician,” Esquivel said during an interview at the Hispanic Entertainment Archives.
“In fact, I don’t even know why I signed up to take band in middle school,” he continued with a puzzled look.
After racking his brain, he had to call his mother to find out what motivated him to take band in Truman Junior High School.
“It was because your friends were in band,” his mother said in a return call.
“That’s right, I had a friend named Juan; and once I got there, I liked the music so much, Roland Pérez and Bardo Cavazos, two horn players plus me and Felipe on drums formed an un-named combo. We started out as The Effics than changed our name to The Unknowns. This is during the time of Henry (Peña) and the Kasuals and the Entertainers,” the young looking 56-year-old band leader said of the 1968 experience.
Two years later, Esquivel on valve trombone; Óscar Padilla, tenor saxophone and Ray “Chafa” Hernández, trumpet; started jamming eventually adding a rhythm section and they would play bars where Viet Nam veterans used to go drink beer. However, they never gave themselves a name.
Esquivel’s turning point came in 1975 when he joined the Gabe González Band featuring Gabe on bass; Joe “Pepe” Sánchez on congas and later Jesse González on vocals; and as he says, “We played all the bars – Mendiola’s, El Ranchito, La Escondida, Alejandro’s and La Estrellita — along S. Zarzamora Street all the way to Palo Alto. In 1977, everybody got out and we regrouped as Liberty Band.”
Again, Esquivel said, “Don’t ask me why we named it Liberty Band, but it’s original members were Jesse, vocals; myself on valve trombone and doing second voice; Ray, trumpet; William Paniagua, trumpet; Concepción “Chon” Chávez, alto saxophone; Danny “Pollo” Peña, guitar; Rubén Hernández, bass; and Jimmy “Talache” Cavazos, drums.”
Liberty Band started out the new decade by recording their first album. By now Charlie McBurney had disbanded his own Mother Truck and joined Esquivel.
“Our first five albums contained original music by Charlie,” Esquivel said giving their most memorable trumpet play his due credit. “He’s the one that put us on the map because he gave us the style that we had. Now we ‘all’ do the arrangements as a team.”
After one album on Albert Esquivel’s Hispanic 80s label, the first album on his own Libertad label made Billboard’s charts with their “Oldies Medley” in 1982. What also helped is that they recorded all their productions at Manny Guerra’s Amen Studios. By now Cavazos had quit and had been replaced by Roddy Charo on drums and Gilbert “Gibby” Velásquez was featured on a guitar solo.
When they reached their tenth anniversary, with the exception of Louie Bustos on saxophone, the original band members had stuck together.
“The reason we remained intact is because of the chemistry among the guys. We worked well together and there was no greed, no envy and no ego trips,” the 5-feet-7-inch musician explained.
Asked where Liberty Band stood in regard to Mazz and La Mafia during the mid to late 1980s and Esquivel said, “We didn’t travel that much because we were too busy here and we didn’t have to go out. We did go to New Mexico, Arizona and California, but not as frequently. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have traveled.
“What kept us working is that the band sounded full and complete. Everyone told us that the horns are what added the flavor to the band. We also had Esmeralda Jaimé do a one-year stint from 1988 to ’89,” he added.
It was the bands eighteenth anniversary when Jesse Gonzٔalez got hurt in a car crash on the way home from a gig. Faced with a lengthy hospital stay, Esquivel has no choice but to replace him with Roy García and James Pardon in 1995.
“Jesse was, and is, a natural because he doesn’t have to practice. He just talks and the music comes out effortlessly, even now. So that dealt us a big blow.”
Roy moved to Miami in 1997, but returned in 2006. During that gap, Louie Marinez, Willie Martínez and Johnny “Aztlán” Hernández filled in the void.
“I have been the band’s second voice since day one, but three years ago, everyone started urging me to step up front. ‘You gotta sing more. You gotta sing more,’ everybody kept telling me. Up to that point I would tell myself, ‘I have a singer, so why sing?’ And now that I started singing lead vocals on some songs, I want to sing more.
“Bobby’s shy, but he lights up when he gets up on stage; and once you give him a microphone, he can’t stop,” Cyndi Carrillo said of her boyfriend.
“Whether it’s singing or playing my horn, I love music,” the hazel-eyed singer/musician reaffirmed.
“They’re seasoned musicians, but they never tire of performing and they’re up there having a good time,” Carrillo added.
Esquivel first recording as a lead singer was “Dejame” and the first time he performed it live, he singled his girlfriend out by dedicating the song to her. She in turn was so proud of her man that she stood in front of the stage singing along, cheering him on and making a big fuss. However the tune is about a man telling his love interest to go, to scram and to get lost because he does not love her.
“This confused a lot of our friends and they were even more puzzled when they saw how happy I was as Bobby sang these awful lyrics, but I was there when he recorded it and this was like giving birth to his first child.”
Today the tight-knit group continues to fill ballrooms and dance halls – last year as far as Chicago and Milwaukee.
If you’re craving old school oldies and Tejano rancheras, cumbias and other beats with a big brass sound from their more than twenty albums, check out this brass heavy band when they perform on Valentine’s Day or when they celebrate their 24th Anniversary in March 2011.
“Winter is the worst time of the year and we don’t have any bookings for December or January,” said Esquivel, who as most musicians relies on gigs in order to make ends meet. So for bookings, call him at (210) 260-4000.
Denzel Washington is a hero in the River City
Editor’s note: This story is based on a popular e-mail that has made the rounds of the Internet several times, gaining untruths in the telling. For the full story, see the article on Snopes.com. It has also been addressed by the San Antonio Express-News.
Subject: Denzel Washington, and Brooke Army Medical Center.
Don’t know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas, (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States, especially burn victims. There are some buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a Hotel where soldiers’ families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the Hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled most of the time.
While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his check book out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot.
The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it. The question is why do:
Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise and other Hollywood fluff make front page news with their ridiculous antics and Denzel Washington’s Patriotism doesn’t even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the Local newspaper in San Antonio.
Al Reed’s Visit to SA Was a Flashback to the Past
Al Reed is among the last of the Mohicans when it comes to true Chicano rock’n’roll music legends.
This means the January 1958 Fox Tech High School graduate – born Albert Gonzales — preceded the Royal Jesters plus Little Joe and Sunny Ozuna, who with Isidro López are considered to be the “Founding Fathers of Tejano Music,” in recording his first single.
“My Padrino (Godfather) sparked my interest in music when he gave me a guitar and my first performance was when I sang Hank Williams’ ‘Jambalaya’ during a talent show at Ira Ogden Elementary School,” the 72-year-old vocalist said during an interview at Mi Tierra Café.
“I remember I would stand in front of the mirror with my guitar and pretend to be singing in front of an audience,” he continued.
There was still much discrimination against Americans of Mexican descent during the 1950s so the Anglo looking hazel-eyed vocalist, who admired blues musician Jimmy Reed took his last name and shorted his first name to become Al Reed.
In 1955, Mando and the Chili Peppers had their own radio show on KCOR and they invited Reed to perform live, but his band had broke up so he asked Rudy Treviño Gonzales, who headed the Reno Bops to back him up on a couple of rockabilly songs.
After he put a second band together again, he was invited to appear on the “Scratch Phillips” Monday night television show on KCOR-TV.
“I was sick with the flu,” Reed recalls. “And when he asked me for the name of my group, I said, ‘The Blue Notes because this morning I woke up with the blues.”
Reed, Joe “Moco” Sánchez, guitar; Felix Velásquez, bass; “Big” Ralph Sánchez, saxophone; and Raúl García on drums; made up the Blue Notes.
They, Rudy and the Reno Bops, the Lyrics, Sonny Ace and the Rhythm Rockers, later the Del-Sharps, would perform at high school teen canteens, the San Fernando Gym, the Fox Tech Gym, Patio Analuz, the Tiffany Lounge, the Tourist Club, Mr. Brown’s Cadillac Club on Navarro Street and the Fort Sam Houston NCO Club. Also the Northside Lounge, which was across from El Chamizal and La Cita Nightclub across from the Alameda Theater.
As Reed, Ace, who looked up to rhythm and blues singer Johhny Ace, went from Solís to Ace and changed his first name from Domingo to Sonny.
Those were also the days of Mike (Villa) and the Bel-Airs, Little Sammy Jay (Jaramillo) and the Tiffaniers plus Rickie (Arguello) and the Keys. The onda chicana came later. There was no chicano music in 1956. It was either rock’n’roll or rhythm and blues.
A showman at heart, during this period, Reed would wear red, green, yellow, baby-blue colored suits and blue suede shoes, long sideburns and a pompadour.
“I wanted to be a big star so I went to see Bob Tanner, owner of TNT Records and convinced him to record me. However, it was for one side of a single. I wrote ‘I Love Her So’ and Sonny Ace wrote and recorded ‘Darling of Mine.’
The 5-feet-8-inch tall songwriter’s inspiration for this 1957 tune was his then-girlfriend, Annie “Maybellene” Garza.
That single became a double-sided regional hit and it was picked up by Dot Records whose roster included Pat Boone, Eddie Fisher, Liberace, the Mills Brothers and years later, Barbara Mandrell and Freddy Fender. This turned Reed and Ace’s single into a national hit.
This is the same year when Rudy Tee recorded “Cry, Cry” as a 78 rpm single for Rio Records.
At the height of his success, Reed decided to move to California and he asked Annie to make the move with him. However, her father wouldn’t hear of it.
“He relented when my mother told him, ‘Let them or they’re going to elope.’ I was 15 and he was 19 when we got married and left that same night,” said his wife of 42 years.
Marriage plus the birth of JoAnn and Sandra brought his musical career to an end. However, that didn’t stop him from getting up on stage and sing with different bands and stay in touch with his 1950s colleagues throughout the years.
When the Dell Kings – Randy Garibay, Cleto Escobedo, Frank Rodarte and Richard Garza — moved to California, they stayed at Reed’s home in Santa Ana.
Last week, Rudy Tee and promoter Juan Mendoza presented Reed with a plaque in recognition for his musical contributions. Reed’s wife, Annie, his daughter JoAnn, his grand-daughter Kristal and Rudy’s wife Linda were in attendance during this plaque presentation from Henry Parrilla and the Citizens of San Antonio.
For those readers who are lost in the ‘50s, there are plans to have an Edgewood Canteen Reunion of stars featuring Sunny and the Sunliners, Joe Bravo, Bobby Mack of the Sunglows and Rudy Tee. More on that as information becomes available.
It was Rapping at Noche Caliente
By Jonathan Liles
Surprise!!! Its Devin The Dude!
River City Attractions (RCA), received an invite to Noche Caliente at the last minute on October 29, 2010. We were expecting to see a concert with San Antonio Hip Hop artist King Kyle Lee as the main event. However Kyle Lee along with Swishahouse Legend DJ Michael “5000” Watts were actually there to host and promote for Devin The Dude. Devin the Dude is an underground rap artist well known for his unique rapping style and 15 year relationship with Houston based Rap-A-Lot Records (ended in 2008). The experience of the show itself was indeed unique. When Devin The Dude performed all the fans surrounded him in a big circle as he performed music from his latest album Suite 420. River City Attractions would like to give special thanks to Kyle Lee, Michael “5000” Watts, Devin The Dude, Core, Big Q and Noche Caliente for putting on a great show.
More About Devin The Dude:
http://www.myspace.com/devinthedude
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Devin-The-Dude/31421216269
http://twitter.com/devindude420
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INqWgpoPCFg
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/devin-the-dude/id148814567
Mark Chesnutt at Cowboys Dancehall
By Nathan Vargas
On Friday October 22nd 2010, Mark Chesnutt arrived in San Antonio, at Cowboys Dancehall. At 10:30 Meet and Greet Passes were passed out to some lucky fans. This meant they were able to meet Chesnutt backstage along with his band. The lucky fans were able to talk to Chesnutt and the band, take multiple pictures with him, and autographs were signed. One of the fans was talking to his wife as he approached Chesnutt. His name was Alex Guel, and his wife Josie Delgado didn’t believe that he was talking to Chesnutt. So Alex explains the situation to Chesnutt and Chesnutt immediately grabs the phone and starts his chat with the long time fan, Josie. Chesnutt is a down to earth guy, who loves to make music about what he believes in. His 14th album called “The Outlaw,” was released on June 22nd, 2010, and his 1st album, “Doing My Country Thing,” was released in 1988. Over the passed 2 decades, Chesnutt still says, “I only record when I feel I have something to say.” He put on a great show, that had the fans 2 stepping all over the dance floor, or toasting the band, as they sang the lyrics of the song. River City Attractions would like to thank Cowboys Dancehall, and Mark Chesnutt for allowing us to go work the show, as well as, enjoy the show!
Flo-Rida was Flowing at AutoFest
By Jonathan Liles & Nathan Vargs
The Auto Fest at Cowboys Dance Hall Oct 19th, 2010 was packed with people of all ages. Over all River City Attractions enjoyed the car show but the peak of the event was when Flo Rida hit the stage and opened with “In the Ayer”. Flo Rida definitely worked the San Antonio crowd with a few of his Hit Songs such as, “Club Cant Handle Me” and “Elevator”. Flo Rida also performed “Turn around (5,4,3,2,1)” off the new album ONLY 1 FLO (PT.1) in stores & online November 30th! Click HERE to listen NOW!
Over looking the crowd we could tell everyone was pleased, especially the fan who got to keep Flo Ridas Gold and Diamond Watch. Kids and grown women join the stage when he played his Hit song “Low” and RCA got it on video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7JI-ggNo-A . ß Jessica Moos also seen in video.
Before Flo Rida went on the San Antonio crowd got to judge a Bikini Contest. All the girls who participated where beautifully built. Second place winner Raquel Stark received $100. However the show was taken away bye the gorgeous Jessica Moos. Ms. Moos a current BUD LIGHT MODEL, and HARLEY’S ANGEL won $500. River City Attractions was pleased to enjoy the rest of the events with Jessica Moos by our side.
Bret Michaels was in true form at Sea World
By Ally Gutierrez &nErika Garcia
Bret Michaels made a huge comeback at Sea World on Friday. He preformed some of his big hits from years past, such as “Talk to Me Dirty” and “Every Rose has its Thorn”, including “Sweet Home Alabama” from the late great , Lynyrd Skynyrd. He also paid tribute to our troops overseas by singing “Something to Believe In”. Bret had the place rocking, with his family along side him. Despite the health complications he had in April he was a true rocker that evening. He did not hesitate in expressing his thanks to the all the staff at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital for his emergency appendicitis back in April which resulted in canceling that performance. This was his make-up show and a show it was as we did get to talk to some of his devoted fans . Bret is looking forward to his “Life as I know it”reality debut on VH1 this month on the 18th and will include film footage of his visit here in the river city .
We first met Connie, Sally, and Christopher, who had been waiting for 4 hours just to get a good spot in the VIP section, which happened to be the same spot they were in when Bret came in April. They, ironically, waited 4 hours back in April as they received word that the show had to be cancelled due to his deteriorating health condition. Connie has been a true fan for 20 years and her favorite song is “Every Rose has it’s Thorn”.
Along with her 2 friends, we met Rhonda, in the VIP section. Their favorite songs are “Every Rose has it’s Thorn” and “Talk to Me Dirty”. Rhonda just became a fan of Bret’s this past year. She was laid off from her job, her DJ friend gave her some Bret Michaels’ music, and it helped her through that time. Her story showed us that music can truly have an effect on people’s lives.
Then we met Elizabeth with her 2 sons Christian and Matthew. Elizabeth has been a fan since she was 29 and her all-time favorite song is “Every Rose has it’s Thorn”. She says her sons have been practicing being Bret Michaels by wearing the red bandana and rocking out to his music.
Next, we met Yolanda, Mary, and Monica. Yolanda being a devoted fan herself got her 8 foster children to become fans as well. Mary who recently adopted 3 foster children was at the show to take pictures for her kids. Their stories truly touched our hearts. Monica traveled from Cotulla just to be there.
Finally, we met Helen and her Nephew, who were sitting in the front row. She informed us that her nephew just had to be there, that he wanted to come to the show, and could not find anybody who wanted to bring him. She decided to take it upon herself to bring him because she knew that would make him happy. Not only is he a fan but Helen has been a fan since Poison days, so it made her happy as well.
The concert was a huge success! We hope that Bret comes back again to San Antonio really soon! which pretty much summed it up from the sea of fans.
Shaun Anthony CD Release Party & Birthday Bash at Posh
By Jonathan Liles
Excited fans and curious bystanders watch closely as Shaun Anthony shot his first RnB music video at Hotel Valencia in the heart of San Antonio (downtown).
The name of the song for the music video is called “Give It To Me Girl” by Shaun Anthony featuring Yung Fyngas and video shot by New Tribe Films. (look for song on itunes) The song is a big part of Shaun Anthonys RnB mixtape called “RnB Love”. This Album features local San Antonio artists such as Yung Fyngas, Tony Jones, Bugsy, and Queen (female rapper).
Album will be released October 8th 2010 @ Posh Ultra Lounge 7959 Broadway suite 500 San Antonio, TX.
River City Attractions noticed Shauns awesome interpersonal skills as he worked hard getting every scene right. When other’s got frustrated Shaun Anthony smiled and did what he had to do to get work done. The majority of the music video shaun wore a pare of shades which at one point ended up missing. Shaun Anthony kept his cool the entire time and got work done.
When Shaun Anthony finally got a break we talked for good amount of time about many subjects. Simply just having a goodtime the key points of the interview went something like this:
What is song about? “The song/concept is about me seeing/meeting a woman and off bat im blown away by her, and basically I’m pursuing her and telling her to come talk/be with me.”
What is the album about? “This mixtape is pretty much a blend of new hip hop and RnB in my own inventive style. It was made to re-vive RnB and since my love and passion for music derives from RnB that is how I came up with the title “RnB Love”
What/who inspired you to sing? “My mother was a big influence in my life for singing because I grew up listening to her and my aunts always sing in the church choir and that is how I began when I was a young boy. My other influences to sing were artists like Micheal Jackson, Boys 2 men, Brian Mcknight, Tank, Usher. I grew up listeing to early 90’s RnB and fell in love from the start.”
When did you know you wanted to write music for a living? “It was not until about 3 yrs ago when I decided that I wanted to really pursue my dream and make this thing become a reality. I would always play the piano and make up stuff to sing with what I was playing so I figured I would give it a shot and be really serious about it.”
What is your perspective or feel on your genre of music today? “I feel that true RnB has taken a bit of the back burner role. We went from classic love making joints and feel good music to just being hook singers on rappers songs. I do feel that RnB is coming back throught certain artist such as Tank, Jaime Foxx, Trey Songz, and definetely Ne-yo. So there are some artist def trying to bring it back to that level that we once were at. The Dwele, Anthony Hamilton’s, Musiq Soulchild, Maxwell, are all pushing to bring back that true feel good music that we all love.”
How long have you been in the business? “Professionally 2yrs”
What is your favorite work done by you? “So far it is this music video that we are currently wrapping up and my mixtape project in whole. My journey has come a far way from just doing a lot of artist development the 1st year and featuring on several artist tracks to finally coming into my own and finding my niche in this game.”
Have you worked with anyone famous? “I have no had the opportunity to work with an artist one on one, but I have met with several ones and received positive feedback from big names such as Kevin Black Lydia Harris, and Skatta Burrell.”
What is the next big project? “The next big project will be my debut album which I plan on having in stores by mid next year. I will definitely have feat by big name artist and producers in the game. For now I am continuing to work hard to get this record deal…and investing in myself to get there. I have a great team that surrounds me and pushes me and I believe that working hard and continuing to make records, mixtapes, videos, and albums will pay off. You will see me at the top!!!”
Contact info:
Email: Shaunathonyfmp@gmail.com
Phone number: 210-379-1602
http://www.Twitter.com/Shaunanthonytx
http://www.Facebook.com/Shaun Anthony
http://www.Myspace.com/deshaun210
Tejano Super Show and Low Low Car Show
By Ally Gutierrez
River City Attractions was very excited to be covering this event that showcased numerous works of art on 4 wheels, fantastic sounds from Tejano and Hip-Hop artist.
Yours truly and two other staff members were immediately introduced to Fade Dog!!! He is a new and rising hip-hop artist from SA. His new album entitled “2 Gangsta 4 Radio” can be heard on 98.5 the Beat or check him out at Noche Caliente.
At the Hip Hop corner fans ran and crowded the area that Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Kyle Lee arrived at and security tried their best to control the crowd. When they performed on stage the place was jumping!!!! Great job guys! Captured up close and personal pic’s of the artist and me.
On the Tejano stage we anxiously awaited the performances of Ruben Ramos, Michael Salgado and Los Desperadoz. Fans waited patiently and when the artist got on stage the crowd went wild, sang to their favorite tunes and danced in whatever space was available.
This musical event lent itself to young and old alike but let’s not forget about the low low works of art. A local favorite at the show was the “Creepy Crawler”, the car is a 96 Honda and has 150 nitro’s, it took the owner 2 years to restore the car and at a price of $5,000.
An eye catching vibrant green Chevy Truck was loaded with Lamborghini doors and 36 inch rims. Check out the awesome interior in the picture.
“Damn Fool” is a ’87 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. The car was assembled in under a month and the designers painted it what I call a black red candy apple color. The hood of this car had a black and white checkerboard….different but awesome!
“Blue and White Beauty” without a doubt is another local favorite. This gorgeous ’02 Cadillac Sedan with a V8 engine has a pearl white paint job with blue glitter tint that makes the car sparkle. This car has 22 inch rims and has a picture of Jordan on it but Jordan isn’t holding a basketball he is holding a wire wisk.
“Rollerz Only” limited addition ’65 Chevy Impala is owned by Bobby who serves in the US Army. He bought this car 3 years ago as a project car from another army buddy for a few thousand dollars and after restoration this car has tripled in price.
It was a great day…..after many interviews and snapping many photo’s we called it a day. Until next time see you in pictures!!!!!! See photo’s below…..
A Major Kudo’s to RedLine Entertainment as another one of their great events brought San Antonians in droves. We’ll see ya’ll again at the next show!
Stay tuned for the next event here at www.rivercityattractions.com “the hotest fasting growing website for San Antonio and and the southwest
Photo’s by Ally Gutierez, Crista Garcia and Michael Gutierrez
Is Jorge Alejandro About to Hit the Lottery?
Jorge Alejandro is one of fifteen finalists in the Songwriting Contest for Hope and Justice in a competition of over 200 composers.
“Levanten La Voz,” which Alejandro co-wrote with his brother Alfredo Knott is the tune that made the finals.
The first place winner will take home $6,000; and the runner ups will receive $2,000; $1,200 and $800. Other local finalists include Bebo Cardenas, René René and Jesse Farias of La Tropa F plus doctors Rachel Cruz and Josie Méndez Negrette. It’s not the lottery, but it’s the next best thing.
“I wrote the two songs I submitted as a story with a diplomatic protest,” said Alejandro, who dropped his last name, Knott, when he became a solo recording artist.
Other finalists include songwriters from Laredo (Los Tres Reyes featuring Gilberto Puente), Dallas, the Rio Grande Valley, Puerto Rico, Mexico, California and yes, Arizona.
The 51-year-old vocalist, whose father is Anglo-American, was born to Yolanda Ornelas in Villa Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico where the music bug bite him when he attended his first concert at fourteen.
“I moved to Texas in 1973 in search of a big city and larger opportunities,” Alejandro said of his reason for crossing the border to the land of opportunity.
A year later he became a bass player with Los Tipicos. Then, what is now ironic, he joined the vocal duo of René and René. It is also ironic that Rene’s last name is the same as his mothers, Ornelas, and are both now vying for the same prize.
In regard to the songwriting competition, Alejandro said, “René René was one of my first influences and inspirations because he’s a good songwriter.”
Jorge Ramírez was the other ‘René.’ Next Alejandro and Ramírez hooked up with Joe Revelez to become Rio Rami, a Tejano group that had great success in Mexico – while simultaneously playing bass in the Ramiro Cervera Orchestra before finally forming Jorge Alejandro y La Paz in 1981.
In fact the Rio Rami album was produced with none other than Marco Antonio Solís.
The 1980s was a good decade as he released 45 rpm singles, cassettes and 33 1/3 rpm albums on the Cara, SAS, Moni, Joey, Del Rey and CBS record labels, not to mention becoming the host of his own television show and receiving several Tejano Music Awards nominations. Then his recording as a soloist became virtually non-existent because he became a highly sought-after recording engineer and studio musician, songwriter and singer.
“Yes, I did record, but always as a part of other projects,” Alejandro said of his absence from radio’s airwaves. “Some were international hits in other genres such as reggaeton.
As a singer, I did backup vocals for Masizzo, Mazz, Mesquite and he was featured in several compilations. As a songwriter, he wrote “Sin Ella,” “Que Traigan Botellas” and “Serveme Otra Cantinero” for Michael Salgado; also “Señorita Tequila” and “Hay un Corazón” for Jay Pérez,
As a producer/engineer he did recording sessions with Reyli, Dinastia Norteña sometimes also playing bass, cowbells, timbales and other percussion instruments as a studio musician.
Besides being in demand, he was also selected the 2005 Academy of Tejano Musicians and Artists’ “Percussionist of the Year.”
JORGE ALEJANDRO Y LA PAZ REGROUP
This year, Alejandro, who has not recorded in ten years as a soloist, decided it was time to reconnect with his fans.
“However I have been jamming here and there,” Alejandro said in regard to his sitting in, singing and playing congas and timbales with various groups.
Alejandro’s latest compact disc, “El Ladron de Tu Amor” (“The Thief of Your Love”), of which he wrote 65 percent of the songs, as can be expected is very international with a sprinkling of Tejano here and there.
In addition, the multi-talented musician, who celebrated his birthday on August 14th says, “I re-recorded “Señor Bolero,” “No Digas Nada,” “Poquito de Pecado,” “Que Gano” and “Dos Monedas” because people request them and fans can’t find those records anymore.
“Despues De Ti,” penned by Beto Ramón, is another fan favorite and one tune for which a video was produced by the late Jerry De La Rosa five years ago.
“I’ve always been a romantic on the melody and my forte is the ballad. Unfortunately that’s not what la raza likes, but I still wrote and recorded ‘Vuelve.’ ”
On “Vamos A Platicar,” which was initially made popular by Los Socios Del Ritmo, Alejandro sounds a lot like José José.
“Locamente,” also written by Alejandro is so catchy; it could easily be spun off into a commercial. And “Quiero Amanecer” is a new joyful version of the Mikie Laure original done in a norteño style club remix with a touch of hip hop.
Some of the musicians on this ongoing production for the last six years are the late Jerry De La Rosa, keyboards; Angela Mesquiti, backup vocals; plus arrangements, keyboards and guitar by Alejandro, Margie Hernández and Ralph Sáenz.
This CD could easily have been titled “The Best of” or “Las Mejores Canciones de” because every song is a proven hit.
“There’s more to come because I still have new old songs in the stove that I have already recorded, but then, there’s nothing to look forward to in the future,” Alejandro revealed.
“One of them is ‘Mama.’ It’s a mariachi tune I wrote this for my own mom when she died two years ago and which I plan to release as a single during the Christmas days.
Now that Alejandro has reactivated La Paz and will be doing more and more live gigs, don’t expect him to cover other band’s tunes because as he says, “The reason people are there is to hear ‘your’ music and not cover tunes, so I’m there to give them my best.”
Once word got out that Alejandro was back, he was swamped with invitations to appear on the newly resuscitated Johnny Canales Show and Rudy Treviño’s “Domingo Show” in Corpus Christi plus “Tejano Y Más” and other television programs throughout Texas.
For bookings call (210) 214-1861. For more information, check out www.jorgealejandro.net, www.myspace.com/jorgealejandroylp and www.facebook.com/jorgealejandro.
On Friday, September 24, all fifteen Sing for Hope and Justice Music songwriting contest finalists will perform the tune that took them to the finals at the Restoration Centre at 6401 Bandera Rd. Tickets for the awards show are available at Janie’s Record Shops and for more information on this event, call Dr. Paul or Margarita Ruiz at (210) 979-0575.