Latin Oldies but Goodies

El Charro de America

 I enjoy all music styles but I must admit some of my very favorites are of days gone by.  These beautiful music I speak of is never going away.

Some examples are: Ella, En Mi Viejo San Juan, Cancion Mixteca, Uste, etc., etc.  My mother and father’s favorites were Historia de Un Amor, Cien Anos, and Tampico Hermoso.  Some of their favorite recording artists were Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, Lola Beltran, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Libertad La Marque, Agustin Lara, etc.

·       Pedro Infante nació el 18 de noviembre de 1917 en Mazatlán, Sinaloa — murió el 15 de abril de 1957 en Mérida, Yucatán, fue el actor y cantante mexicano más famoso, carismático y publicitado de la época de oro del cine mexicano, así como uno de los más grandes representantes de la música ranchera. 

·       A partir de 1939 apareció en más de 60 películas, y desde 1943 grabó aproximadamente 310 canciones. Por su actuación en la película Tizoc (1956), fue acreedor al oso de plata del festival internacional de cine de Berlín al mejor actor principal, y al premio globo de oro a la mejor película extranjera, otorgado por la prensa extranjera acreditada en Hollywood, premio que ya no tuvo la oportunidad de recibir. Los mariachis de antaño lo recuerdan porque siempre tuvo mucho cariño por sus músicos, sus mariachis.

I enjoy Trio music like Los Panchos, Los Dandys, I also appreciate the Merengue, Salsa, Bachata, Corridos Nortenos, Polkas, Huapangos, Cumbias, Rock, Baladas, y Boleros.  I am in the planning process of starting a Podcast for Spanish music.  I can picture a romantic half hour once weekly, and a separate half hour also once weekly with just a mix of music from our younger years.  Stay tuned for additional information.

Once music gets into our blood, you are stuck for life.  At about twenty years of age I got real lucky and was hired at a (24/7) Spanish Language Broadcasting Radio Station in central California.  I started out as a copy person translating Associated Press news into Spanish for Broadcast, and eventually worked my way to reading the news on the air, with my own air time on the weekends.  I’ve been involved in the music business in one way or another ever since.

My music involvement has been from owning music stores, to promoting recording artists in concerts and dance venues, to owning a multi-system wedding Disc Jockey service.  All my entrepreneurial efforts have been successful, but all businesses reach a point of saturation or completion.  My longest effort was the multi-system wedding Disc Jockey service.  I owned it and successfully operated the enterprise for 22 years before I sold it.

My life like everyone else’s life has had ups and downs, but you have to remember that you can’t enjoy the highs if you never have experienced lows. Having gone this far in life, I wouldn’t change anything if I could.  The best is yet to come…..

Love of all Music

Dance Concerts/Promotions 

My father and mother met over their love of music and dancing, my wife and I actually strengthened our interest in each other over our appreciation of music.  When my mother and father met it was over ballroom dancing to the big famous orchestras of their time.  In Tampico, Mexico the Orchestra they first and regularly danced to was “los Gatos Negros.”  It didn’t hurt that my mother had the looks of a movie star of the era, and my father had a keen eye for beauty.

 

When my wife and I met, I was very much into all kinds of music, but I was at the time heavy into promoting dances (Tejano style dances).  In fact, I was the biggest and best known promoter for five years covering the Northwest (Oregon, Idaho, and of course Washington).  I also was involved in Spanish Radio Broadcasting (I was a popular Locutor – DJ) about to become a regional known DJ covering the above mentioned States, plus Northern California, and Utah.

My favorites at the time were Los Classicos de Roberto Pulido, Los Fabulosos 4, Ramon Ayala, and Cornelio Reyna.  I had first been introduces to Ramon Ayala, and Cornelio Reyna In King City, California, where I saw them perform as “Los Relampagos del Norte,” back in the late 60’s.  Those guys were young, and I was even slightly younger.  I’ll never forget their impressive entrance, as the crowd was looking all over the place to see what direction they would walk in from after they were introduced (outdoor open field), and to the crowd’s surprise they were brought in by helicopter.

 

As a Spanish Radio DJ, I also pioneered music that was not previously played in the Northwest.  I introduced my audiences to Julio Iglesias music (when he was just getting started), also Palito Ortega, King Clave, and of course the up and comers of the time, Los Tigres del Norte, Los Huracanes del Norte.  Amongst the many performers that I brought to the Northwest Dance Promotions are:  Los Tigres, Los Huracanes, Little Joe Y La Famila, Ramon y Cornelio (separately of Course), Roberto Pulido, Carlos Guzman, Los Diablos (From Los Angeles, California), Los Muecas, Los Freddys, Los Bukis (that’s right Anotnio Solis himself), Los Cachorros de Juan Villareal.  I can write a book just about the names that I brought to the Northwest and hung out with.

 

The dance promotions went on every weekend year round even when the nasty winters were upon us.  People still needed a distraction.  There were no Spanish television programs, or movie rentals in Spanish, not much radio programing except the few hours that were provided by people like myself.  I know that many people prefer a quiet life compared to the one I had, but I was able to handle it, and have a great time doing it.  My life has always been exciting, and challenging.  I have many things going for me, amongst them two very important ones are: Whatever you do be the best at it, and equally important, know when to get in and when to exit.  Some people overstay their welcome, and eventually turn into failure what should have been a success.  The best is yet to come….

Killing Kennedy

Kennedy motorcade

Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly is the title of the newest addition to my personal reading collection. I have always had a special interest on anything written about the 35th President of the United States, President John F. Kennedy. Our nation was unified in shock and grief on November 22, 1963. Anyone that lived through that infamous day has the moment etched in their memory, I know I do.

 

Friday November 22, 1963 started like any other Friday, with the anticipation of the weekend to be followed by the Thanksgiving Holiday being the only difference. I don't remember the exact time but I do remember that it was early morning, not long after school started (sometime after 10 am).  I was looking forward to a normal day of classes, and making plans for the weekend when all of a sudden the routine of the classroom was interrupted; The Principal’s voice came over the intercom system. 

Abraham, Martin and John-Dion

There were usually two or three musical notes that preceded the voice message, not unlike a musical doorbell.  This time we heard a crackle over the intercom almost like fumbling with the microphone. That was the first thing that was different about the interruption, the second thing I noticed is that the principal never delivered the message himself.  His voice sounded very different from the person of authority that he always projected. He was almost apologetic in delivering the news, with a quivering voice he began; we just got a report from the school district administration office that our president, President John F. Kennedy has been shot while in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.  He has been rushed to the hospital and is being attended to.  A short time later we were informed that the president was dead.

 

Everyone in the room was stunned, and some started to cry out loud, even our teacher was shaken and red eyed.  I was supposed to be one of the tough guys in the school, and I couldn’t control the tears welling from my eyes.  I felt lost I didn’t know what to think, and I wasn’t sure what might happen next.  I certainly didn’t want my class mates to see me lose control, and for once I didn’t feel that I had a leadership role in helping bring calm to my fellow students.  A radio was apparently placed in front of the open microphone in the office carrying the news broadcast throughout the school as it developed.

Since I didn’t feel that anyone was in control I left the classroom, walked down the hall and straight out of the building to my car in the student parking lot.  The first thing I did before leaving the area was to find a strong radio station that I could clearly listen to, for the developing story.  My family loved and respected President Kennedy so much that I felt a need to rush home and be near my mother to comfort her.  The 15 miles between town where my high school was and home must have been a difficult drive but all I can remember is that I had tears streaming down my face.  It’s not easy to write this portion because after all tough guys of any age don’t cry.  I arrived home to find my mother crying in front of the television set.

 

The perceived American Dream doesn’t have tragedy of this level in it, so it was a rude awakening for the country and the world.  The next two weeks were filled with being glued to the television set and included the live coverage of the assassination of Oswald by Ruby.  The country since that time has made progress in many areas, including medicine, technology, and space exploration to name a few but I feel that society has regressed in the area of crime and violence in general.  We have become indifferent and much less caring for one another. I know that this terrible tragedy in American History changed me, and I’m not sure that I can explain how.  I guess one way that I changed, is that from that incident on, I always expect the unexpected.

 

I still have high hopes for our country, and believe that our best days are ahead of us, and that is why I always say; the best is yet to come…..

Tribute to My Mother

My Mother (Classic Beauty)

My mother’s mission in life was to make sure that her children had a better life than she herself had.  During her life, my mother was married twice.  Once for love; my father was the love of her life, even though her marriage to my father only lasted 13 actual years, she loved him until the day she took her last breath.  The second time she married was to provide a real family environment to me and my little sister.  For a three years (between marriages) she was a single head of household, and maintained two jobs at times three jobs just to meet all of our needs, and many wants.  Her second husband loved her very much and she loved him, their marriage lasted about 24 years.

Los Caminos de La Vida

February 15^th will always be a special day in my life.  On this day 92 years ago my mother was born.  My mother passed away in 1999, but not before she got to see her son (me) reach the level of success she wanted for me.  I adored her than as I do now, and I know that I made her proud.

At some point in life she stopped being my mother, and crossed over into being my biggest fan.  To this day I don’t know what it’s like to get in trouble with any kind of addiction, or be in trouble with the law.  All my efforts throughout life have been to make my mother proud, and I know that she was.  Every time we visited or talked on the telephone, the conversation ended with, “God Bless You Son.”  I know that all my life I’ve been blessed because she prayed for me, and today I am blessed because she looks over me!  I love you mother!!  The best is yet to come……….