AKA Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero
Born December 24, 1916 in Tucson, AZ
Years Active '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s,
Genres Latin
Styles Ranchera, Corrido, Pachuco Swing, Mambo ,Rumba, Tropical, Latin Pop, Norteño, Rock, Song Parody
Instruments Guitar, Vocals
Labels Vocalion, Imperial, RCA Victor, Colonial, EMI Capitol (Mexico), Ambiente
One of the most respected performers in the entire Chicano community, Lalo Guerrero has yet to receive his due from the world at large. So, even though he has received the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship (1991) and the President's Medal of the Arts (1996), it's difficult to obtain his recordings at your run-of-the-mill record store. This may change as awareness of his achievements spreads outside of the Mexican-American community. At the time of writing (1998), Arhoolie Records is working on compiling a reissue of Lalo's material.
Lalo's parents hailed from Baja California and Sonora, respectively. Like many first generation Americans, Lalo feels at home with English and his parentsılanguage. That easy familiarity is put to devastating use in the ease with which Guerrero switches back and forth in some of his songs, occasionally even rhyming an English word with a Spanish one. His songs are equally entertaining whether they are written in Spanish or English.
Lalo's calling card is versatility. He has performed in many of the musical genres of Mexico and Latin America as well as jazz, pop and rock. He is able to change his vocal style to match his musical surroundings. In fact, he once said in an interview that he aspired to be like Bing Crosby but found that racial prejudice stood in his way. On some of his songs, like Llorar, one can hear the crooner voice that Lalo cultivated. On others, like his famous pachuco songs, one can hear his gift for mimickry and mastery of pachuco slang.
Lalo learned to sing and play the guitar from his mother. He began to write songs at an early age and had written one of his most famous (Cancion Mexicana) by the time he was 17. He was earning a living by that time as a member of Los Carlistas, playing around Tucson and even making an appearance with the group in the Gene Autry movie Boots and Saddles. When WWII came, Guerrero moved to San Diego partially to work a defense job and partially to be closer to more lucrative California markets.
This move to a thriving urban environment led Guerrero to come up with a hip Latino music to cater to the pachuco culture that was stirring in major urban areas throughout the Southwest. Lalo blended jazz, jump blues, topical Spanish lyrics and pachuco slang to invent a music that spoke to Mexican-American youth and still does. He is so much associated with the Zoot Suit period that Luis Valdez included four of Guerrero's songs in the play (and later - movie) Zoot Suit.
Ever the chameleon, Lalo managed to break through in a big way in the '50s with Pancho Lopez, his parody of the Ballad of Davy Crockett. He expected to sell about 1000 copies of the single. Instead, he sold about 250,000 and attracted the attention of Disney, who wanted 50% of the action. He continued to make the kind of music that was characteristic of the '50s whether pop or rock, while never forgetting his Mexican roots.
In the '60s, the Civil Rights Movement helped many minorities develop a cohesive identity. The work of Cesar Chavez and the American Farm Workers union helped spark a movement of Chicano Pride and Lalo Guerrero was there to provide the soundtrack. At the same time, Lalo was influencing a new generation of Spanish-speaking youth with his version of The Chipmunks - Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero. By the time the '70s rolled along, musicians who had grown up hearing Lalo's music, such as Los Lobos, were making music of their own.
Lalo is still involved with Chicano youth, namely the San Pablo, CA group Los Cenzontles. He has worked with them in the studio as well as performing at benefits for the Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center. Lalo remains remarkably active, playing at many community events as well as having made an appearance on the 1998 Alma Awards.
As his material has not been reissued by a well-distributed label yet, one can obtain his cassettes from P.O. Box 5022, Palm Springs, CA 92263 or get them from Down Home Music.
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig!
Established 5/12/99, last modified on 5/12/99