Lalo Guerrero | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Guerrero inCathedral City, California | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Eduardo Guerrero Jr. (1916-12-24)December 24, 1916 Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 2005(2005-03-17) (aged 88) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1939–2005 |
Eduardo "Lalo"Guerrero Jr. (December 24, 1916 – March 17, 2005)[2] was an American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on later Latin musical artists.[3]
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Eduardo Guerrero Jr., nicknamed "Lalo," was born inTucson, Arizona,[4][5] one of 21 siblings (although only nine survived). His father worked for theSouthern Pacific Railroad. Guerrero left his hometown to pursue his dream in music. He says that he gives his mother all the credit for his musical talent, and Guerrero said she taught him to "embrace the spirit of being Chicano."[6]
Lalo's mother, Concepción, taught him some basic musical skills and encouraged him to hone them during adolescence. She was no professional musician but had taught herself to play guitar. His relationship with his mother greatly influenced his music; one of the major themes of his work was the visibility of the Chicana struggle for dignity. His first group, Los Carlistas (the quartet included Greg "Goyo" Escalante, Chole Salaz and Joe Salaz), represented Arizona at the1939 New York World's Fair, and performed on theMajor Bowes Amateur Hour on radio.
He moved toLos Angeles in the 1940s, and had a few uncredited roles in movies, includingBoots and Saddles andHis Kind of Woman. He recorded forImperial Records and fronted the Trio Imperial. He also formed his own orchestra and toured throughout the Southwest. He performed at the La Bamba club in Hollywood, a place frequented by the biggest stars in the movie business. During the 1960s, he bought a night club in Los Angeles and renamed it "Lalo's".
During the 1940s, he became a friend of the Ronstadt family ofArizona, in particular Gilbert Ronstadt, father of popular vocalistLinda Ronstadt, who recalled childhood memories of Guerrero serenading her. At his funeral, she sang a traditional Mexican song in tribute.
Guerrero is known as the father of Chicano music.[7] He recorded and wrote many songs in all sorts of genres. He recorded over 700 songs since his first record in 1939 withLos Carlistas onVocalion Records. As a songwriter Guerrero wrote songs forEl Trio los Panchos,Lola Beltrán, and many other famous artists.
His first American hit was "Pancho López", a parody of the popular 1950s hit "The Ballad of Davy Crockett". Guerrero used the Davy Crockett melody and wrote his own lyrics, telling the story of a legendaryMexican character. Due to criticism he received over this song, he never performed it publicly, not wanting to contribute to an inappropriate stereotype. He went on to record several more parody songs, including "Pancho Claus," "Elvis Perez", "Tacos For Two" (to the tune of "Cocktails For Two"), and "There's No Tortillas" (to the tune of "O Sole Mio"). His earliestPachuco compositions of the 1940s and 1950s were the basis of theLuis Valdez stage musical,Zoot Suit.
He also wrote songs about Cesar Chavez, other farm workers and braceros. Chavez said at tribute to Guerrero in 1992 inPalm Desert, California: "Lalo has chronicled the events of theHispanic in this country a lot better than anyone."[8]
During WWII, Mexican-American women known asPachucas began to challenge societal norms in relation to gender, labor, communication and representation. Guerrero's music simultaneously evolved into the Zoot Suit (Pachuca/o) music of the 1940s and 1950s. His songs infused with Pachuco slang, a combination of informal Spanish and English, acted as a megaphone.[9]
He also wrote children's songs presented via his "Las Ardillitas," or "Three Little Squirrels", with his voice sped up.Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., creator ofAlvin and the Chipmunks, threatened lawsuit over alleged similarities between the Chipmunks and Las Ardillitas, until Guerrero provided evidence that he had conceived Las Ardillitas first.[1]
In 1995 he recorded a children's albumPapa's Dream withLos Lobos.[10]
In 2005, Guerrero was one of several Chicano musicians who collaborated withRy Cooder on Cooder'sChávez Ravine album, for which he provided vocals on three songs ("Corrido de Boxeo", "Los Chucos Suaves", and "Barrio Viejo") which helped bring him, at the twilight of his life, to the attention of a wider Anglo audience. Guerrero recorded his last full CD on Break Records, a Los Angeles-based record label, this at age 83. This would become his last music CD. The recording is a collection of Guerrero's best "Zoot Suit" compositions of Latin swing "Pachuco" music.
Guerrero was officially declared a national folk treasure by theSmithsonian Institution in 1980,[11] and was presented with the National Medal of Arts in 1996 by then-United States PresidentBill Clinton. In 1991, Guerrero received aNational Heritage Fellowship from theNational Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[12] In late 2005, Guerrero was posthumously inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. Along with that he was also inducted into the Tejano Hall of Fame and the Mariachi Hall of Fame.[13]
Guerrero's contributions have resulted in Las Glorias, a restaurant in centralPhoenix, Arizona displaying a poster of him with his signature on it on the wall for everyone to see in loving memory of him. He also has a blown-up, candid photograph of him as a young man on the wall of a major underpass in Tucson. InCathedral City, California, the main street in front of the Civic Center is named for him: Avenida Lalo Guerrero.
In 1994, a Golden Palm Star on thePalm Springs Walk of Stars dedicated to him.[14]
Guerrero was married for over 34 years to his wife Lidia Guerrero. They lived inCathedral City, California for over 28 years. He died on March 17, 2005, inRancho Mirage, California, at age 88.
