CHICANO ROCKERS - AL GARCIA & THE RHYTHM KINGS

AL GARCIA & THE RHYTHM KINGS

Here is the Alll Music Guide Review of the group:

In 1957, members of the Lamplighters from Delano, CA, joined up with members of a rival act, the Rhythm Aces, from nearby Tulare (both cities are just north of Bakersfield). They formed a new pachuco surf-and-soul combo called Al Garcia and the Rhythm Kings: multi-instrumentalist Al Garcia, guitarist Art Rodriguez, bassist Freddie Mendoza, drummer Manuel Garcia (Al's brother), and saxophonists Larry Silva and Vincent Bumatay.

 They continued to play in the landlocked Kern and San Joaquin Valley areas before their popularity spread to more populated areas of the state. Ultimately, they were touring the West Coast, from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The group was put on hold when much of the group were drafted into the army -- Al and Bumatay recorded a single for the newly formed Reprise Records (with producer Ed Cobb) during this hiatus -- but re-formed in 1962 without Silva. That summer they met producer/talent scout Tony Hilder, whose connections among Hollywood-based indie labels enabled them to begin recording. They waxed surf-and-soul singles for a variety of labels -- including GNP Crescendo, Tollie, Northridge, Del-Fi, and Challenge -- under a variety of guises, including the Soul Kings. Exotic and Rockin' Instrumentals, 1963-1964 is a compilation of 13 of the group's instrumental rock & roll, surf, and exotica tracks from this halcyon era

. Like many of the acts on the Del-Fi roster -- the Sentinals, the Centurions -- the Rhythm Kings combined Latin rock rhythms, mariachi-style horns, and surf guitar instros. Many instro standards from the band's repertoire are included here, like "Church Key" and "Intoxica"; both tracks were written by the venerable Norman Knowles, band manager and brilliant saxman for the Revels, a fixture on the Central Coast surf music scene. As an added bonus, this fine reissue -- with liner notes by Garcia's friend, Ray Baradat, and color photos -- features both sides of an all-instrumental single by the doo wop-ish Charades, who often played gigs with the Rhythm Kings in the East L.A. area (guitarist Rodriguez was also a member of their lineup, circa 1964). ~ Bryan Thomas, Rovi

This CD is still available. PLEASE SUPPORT THE ARTISTS BY BUYING THEIR MUSIC!!!

Al Garcia & The Rhythm Kings "Exotic & Rockin' Instrumentals, 1963-1964 With Tracks By The Charades Band" Bacchus Archives (BA 1135) 1999, Bacchus Archives, a part of Dinysus Records Empire.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED!!!!

Solely for historical, educational & listening pleasure.

CHICANO ROCKER - EDDIE QUINTEROS

                                                           EDDIE QUINTEROS

 Eddie Quinteros hails from Dally City, California, located at the northernmost edge of San Mateo County, adjacent to San Francisco.

He started his musical career at age 13 and by age 15 was an opening act for other rock & roll artists.
Eddie performed on the Dick Clark Show as well as the Alan Freed Review.
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  Judging from his look and his singing style, he was probably influenced by Ritchie Valens. Though mainly a rockabilly singer of special interest to Eastside collectors in his teen doo wop song "Vivian"
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   Eddie's first single was "Come Dance With Me" and "Vivian" recorded for the Brent label (Brent 7009) in January, 1960 when Eddie was 17.

You May Listen To Eddie Quinteros "Come Dance With Me" Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXueC-bJ-TU

You May Listen To Eddie Quinteros "Vivian" Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAaLPoUOXT8

His next single for the Brent label was "Lookin' For My Baby" b/w "Please Don't Go" also in 1960.

A third single was recorded for the Brent label in August, 1960. "Lindy Lou" b/w "Slow Down Sally"

In 1961, Eddie recorded a single for Bob Keene's Del-Fi label. "Pretty Baby I Love You" b/w "At Last You've Come Back"

Also in 1960,  Eddie recorded his final single "Come On Little Girl" b/w "Waited For You" on the M&K label,

"Come On Little Girl" was released on the ED-DAR label in 1962.

In 1965, Eddie as a member of the group Au Go Go's would release "All Over Town" b/w "Waited For You" on the Jest label

In the early 1960'2 Time Records in Australia would release an Eddie Quinteros EP

In 2024 Sundazed Records reeleased an album titled "Quinteros Au Go Go!" featuring Brent singles

along with unissued material, acetates, demos and outtakes

The LP is available by following this link: https://sundazed.com/quinteros-eddie-quinteros-a-go-go-cd.aspx

An excellent Zoom video interview with Eddie can be seen on Mark Guerrero's YouTube Channel or

by clicking here:

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED!! Solely for historical and educational purposes

CHICANO ROCKERS - CHAN ROMERO

Robert Lee "Chan" Romero was born July 7, 1941 in Billings, Montana.
Romero's heritage was rather mixed. His father was of Spanish and Apache stock while his mother was a mix of Mexican, Cherokee and Irish. Both had migrated to Montana during the Great Depression, seeking employment as migrant farm workers. His nickname was bestowed on him by his grandfather. Since Romero often ran around without footwear, the nickname, from a Spanish phrase meaning "little boy with pig's feet" seemed appropriate.

  Chan's earliest influence was Elvis Presley when he saw Elvis on the Steve Allen show in 1955. He was also influenced by rockers Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry. The came Ritchie Valens.

The teenaged Chan Romero hitchhiked to East Los Angeles, California in 1958. He heard Ritchie Valens' "Come On Let's Go" on the radio and was inspired to write "Hippy Hippy Shake" and thus launched his career. An uncle introduced Romero and his music to an A&R representative from Specialty records, Sonny Bono. Bono was particularly taken with a song called "My Little Ruby" and asked Romero to polish the song and to return in a few weeks. Romero needed to return to school in Montana and never returned to Specialty.

  Upon forming a band on his return, it soon became clear that Valens had a tremendous impact on Romero, so much so that the two artists, who never met, sounded alike and shared much the same ethnic heritage. Two months after the plane crash that claimed Valens' life, Montana DJ & manager Don Redfield sent a tape to Valens' manager, Bob Keane, in Los Angeles. Keane was greatly impressed with the recordings and hailed Romero as a successor to Valens, immediately signing him to a contract on Del-Fi records, the same label as Valens. In June of 1959, Chan entered Gold Star Studios in Hollywood and recorded with the same band that backed up Ritchie.

  Keane introduced him to Valens' grieving mother with whom Romero became close. Her home served as Romero's home during his visits to Los Angeles; he slept in Valens' bedroom.

  Del-Fi would release "Hippy Hippy Shake" and "If I Had My Way" in July, 1959. It became a hit in the US, Australia and the UK. The Swining Blue Jeans would have a top 20 US hit with it in 1964. It even became part of the Beatles set in their Hamburg days.

You May Listen To Chan Romero "Hippy Hippy Shake" and "If I Had A Way" Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxhFUU6BgDU

The follow-up record was "My Little Ruby" and "I Don't Care" (Del-Fi 4126) recorded in September 1959, again a rocker with a ballad on the flip.

You May Listen To Chan Romero "My Little Ruby" Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_95rL61sgWY&playnext=1&list=PL33D946C7067D41BF

You May Listen To Chan Romero "I Don't Care Here"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R6s6pjVUt8


This later "odd-ball" 1965 Romero release "It's Not Fair" is listed as being in the Northern soul genre.

If you are looking for Chan Romero's music, this is the CD to buy. Released on Del-Fi in 1995.

Track List:

01. My Little Ruby
02. I Don't Care
03. Hippy Hippy Shake (Studio)
04. I Want Some More
05. If I Had A Way
06. Memories Of You
07. Your Love
08. It's Not Fair
09. Rockhouse
10. My Angel
11. Hippy Hippy Shake (Demo)
12. Baby Doll
13. Boppin' & Hoppin'
14. La Bamba
15. Playboy

Chan Romero was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame on May 15,2007 and is currently living in Palm Springs, California.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED!!

Solely for historical, educational & listening pleasure.

CHICANO ROCKERS - DANNY FLORES AKA CHUCK RIO

Born Daniel Flores July 11, 1929 in Rankin, Texas he moved to Santa Paula, California with his Mexican parents in the 1930's and would become known as "The Godfather Of Latino Rock".

  He first picked up a guitar at family gatherings in his early teens and benefited from the input of various relatives. By the late Forties, he had moved to the saxophone and was trying to emulate the rasping sound of Vido Musso, a tenor player who had made his name with Benny Goodman and Stan Kenton and was now recording for Modern, the West Coast label Flores would eventually sign to as a vocalist.

Flores played a variety of musical styles - jazz, country, pop, rhythm'n'blues - to entertain the clientele of the Long Beach clubs and bars where he appeared with his own quartet and famously remarked that some people began calling him "the Mexican hillbilly".


  In 1957 he would record "Trying To Forget" and "No Matter What You Do" released on the RPM label
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Later in 1957, he met Dave Burgess, another aspiring songwriter, singer and guitarist with Challenge, a California label bankrolled by Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy.

  After a few gigs as Danny and Dave, they used the drummer Gene Alden and guitarist Buddy Bruce, who were members of Flores's group, the session bassist Cliff Hills and Huelyn Duvall on backing vocals during a recording session held at Goldstar studios in Hollywood on 23 December ostensibly to record "Train to Nowhere", a Burgess instrumental. They also cut "Night Beat" and did three takes of "Tequila", based on a Latin-flavoured riff Flores used to play live as part of his club act. They decided to call themselves the Champs after Champion, a horse owned by Autry, while "Tequila" was credited to Chuck Rio on the label.

He had to use the name Chuck Rio because he was still signed to the Modern label who has him as a vocalist. Challenge contended that he was an instrumentalist but because he sung one word "Tequila" that made him a vocalist.

When a DJ in Massachussets flipped the "Train to Nowhere" single and played "Tequila", listeners began requesting the near-instrumental, which started to climb up the charts in January 1958. It eventually reached number one in the US and made the UK Top Five in the spring of 1958 (despite a rush-released cover by Ted Heath and His Music).

 Chuck Rio also cut two vocal sides for Challenge but became involved in a tug of war with Burgess and the record label over the leadership and ownership of the Champs. A compromise was eventually reached with Rio allowing them the rights to use the Champs' trademark for three years and the group carried on with an ever-changing line-up which, at times, included Glen Campbell, then a session guitarist, and Jimmy Seals and Dash Crofts, who went on to become the Seventies duo Seals and Crofts.

The saxophonist formed the Original Champs, who soon became known as the Originals, but never came close to creating another "Tequila". By 1963, Rio had moved to the Saturn label, where he cut a series of raucous instrumentals later gathered on the Surfer's Nightmare album. In recent years, he had been suffering from Parkinson's disease.

  Chuck Rio passed away September 19, 2006 in Wstminister, California.

You may listen to Chuck Rio "Margarita" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFE9dSD26oM

                                                        
                                                                   Chuck Rio And The Champs                                                       

You may listen to Chuck Rio & The Chanps "Tequila" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzSskwpLiWY

A fine compilatio CD is available from Ace Records entitled "Chuck Rio - The Tequila Man"

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED!!

Solely for historical, educational and listening pleasure.

CHICANO ROCKERS - THE RHYTHM ROCKERS

Pictured above the Rhythm Rockers are (left to right): Bill McClure, Martin Cruz, Rick Rillera, Richard Berry, Barry Rillera, Bill King, Louie Pacheco, Modesto Pomm De Leon and Manuel Acosta.

The Rhythm Rockers were formed in 1955 by Barry & Rick Rillera in Santa Ana, California. They were first influenced by the blues but turned their attention to the R&B scene after listening to local disc jockey, Hunter Hancock. They also listened to Chico Sesma's radio program and as a result added Latin jazz to their repertoire. They were also influenced by the Armenta Brothers, Sal Chico and Bobby Rey.

  The band played mostly in Santa Ana & East LA but soon found themselves playing in front of black audiences in South Central.

  The band was also influenced by Rene Touzet who's song "El Loco Cha Cha" formed the basis of band member Richard Berry's "Louie Louie"

  Later, Bill Medley of Righteous Brothers fame started coming around. Medley was impressed by cover versions of Don & Dewey songs the band was doing. The Righteous Brothers would record two Don & Dewey songs, "Koko Joe" & "Justine"
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  Rick & Barry Rillera would later back the Righteous Brothers on "My Babe" and "Little Latin Lupe Lu".

Rick, Barry & younger brother, Butch would later back Dick Dale on "Miserlou"
  In the 1990's the Rillera Brothers would perform at the Hop, a chain of rock & roll nostalgia clubs owned by Medley & fellow Righteous Brother, Bobby Hatfield.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED!!

Solely for historical, educational & listening pleasure.

CHICANO ROCKER - GIL BERNAL

                                                                      

                                                                GIL BERNAL

Gil Bernal was born in Watts, California. The son of an Italian father and a Mexican mother, Gil attended Jordan High School and enrolled at Los Ageles City College for one year before going on the road with Lionel Hampton.

  From an early age, Gil became totally absorbed in the black culture that surrounded him particularly, jazz. The neighborhood was rich with jazz talents such as Britt and William Woodman, Charlie Mingus, Big Jay McNeely and Buddy Collette.

  He picked up the tenor sax, began singing and joined local neighborhood bands playing at parties and dances.

   Gil’s reputation grew and soon thereafter, jazz legend, Lionel Hampton, heard him and hired him.  Gil spent the next three years touring the U.S. and Canada with the band as a featured tenor -sax soloist and vocalist.

  It was while taking classes at Los Angeles City College that Gil met Mike Stoller, a young, struggling songwriter. Stoller and his partner Jerry Leiber started Spark Records who signed local group the Robins.

  Gil would play sax on a number of Robin's songs most notably "Riot In cell Block No. 9" and Smokey Joe's Cafe". In 1955 Atlantic records signed Leiber, Stoller and the Robins & moved them all to New York. The Robins would be renamed The Coasters and go on to have many hits including "Yakety Yak" and "Poison Ivy".

  Before departing from Los Angeles Gil would record for sides for Spark Records. "Easyville" and "The Whip" Spark 102 and "Strawberry Stomp" and "King Solomon's Blues" Spark 106.

Later Bernal would play sax on the Duane Eddy hit "Rebel Rouser"

  Other notable Gil Bernal recordings are "Keep Those Wandering Eyes Off My Baby" for American Records and "Tower Of Strength" for the Imperial label.

You may listen to Gil Bernal "The Whip" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcnHx1fce-o

You may listen to Gil Bernal "Keep Those Wandering Eyes Off My Baby" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UAZbU9vEhE

You May Listen To Gil Bernal "Tower Of Strength" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7hOIc3sHW0

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED!!

Solely for historical, educational and listening pleasure.