East L.A.
Revue All Star Band:
The “Eastside Sound” of the 60s Lives
by Mark Guerrero
The East L.A. Revue All Star Band is a musical group made
up of a back up band with featured guest performers.
It’s the brainchild of Steven Chavez, who had grown
up in East L.A., dancing to the music of the Eastside bands
in the 60s. In February of 2001, he attended a tribute
concert for East L.A. manager/producer of the 60s, Billy Cardenas,
organized by Chan Romero and yours truly. It featured my cover
band (Hot Rox), the Premiers, Cannibal & the Headhunters,
Chan Romero, and my dad, Lalo Guerrero. This event inspired
Steven to create a way to promote and perpetuate the Chicano
music of East L.A. He began by finding venues to present
the Premiers and Cannibal & the Headhunters, backed by
a band largely made up of musicians who were once part of
the East L.A. music scene of the 1960s. I attended the
first such event on August 5, 2001 at the Zacatecas Restaurant
in Riverside, California, which featured the Premiers, and
Cannibal & the Headhunters. After doing several
of these events at various restaurants, parks, and dance halls,
the idea came about of calling the band, with its featured
vocalists and musicians, the East L.A. Revue All Star Band.
Chavez has featured artists such as singers Greg Esparza,
a new member of Cannibal & the Headhunters, Hank Castro,
a former lead singer of Thee Midniters, and others I will
mention below.
On June 22, 2003, I attended an East
L.A. Revue All Star Band concert at Frank G. Bonelli Regional
Park in San Dimas, California. The event, sponsored
by the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation,
also featured Chico Vegas’ Drifters Tribute, Lloyd Price,
and Jay and the Americans. The master of ceremonies
was the legendary disk jockey, Huggy Boy. The East L.A.
Revue All Star Band was made up of Jimmie Meza, formerly of
the Atlantics and Art Hernandez of the In Crowd, on guitar,
Anthony Carrol on bass, Rene Flores on drums, Ray Ybarra on
congas and percussion, George Gutierrez and Albert Barron
on saxophone, Robert “Chickie” Garcia, formerly
of the Counts, on trumpet, and Bertha Oropeza, Vanessa Oropeza
(Bertha’s daughter), Judith Muro, and Maria Sandoval
on background vocals. Bertha, Judith, and Maria were
also featured performers, along with Lawrence and John Perez
of the Premiers, and Mickey Lespron of El Chicano on guitar.
It was a good show which truly captured the sound and atmosphere
of the music played in East L.A. in the 60s. I know
because I was part of the scene with my bands, Mark &
the Escorts and the Men from S.O.U.N.D.
The East L.A.
Revue All Star Band performed classic songs from the era such
as “Huggie’s Bunnies” by the Romancers,
“Last Night” by the Mar-Keys, and the ladies did
a great job on “Ooh Poo Pa Do” by the Sisters,
with Maria Sandoval on lead vocal. Maria, a young and
talented singer, was also featured on “Tell Mama”
by Etta James and “Heat Wave" by Martha & the Vandellas. She obviously loves singing and performing
and it comes through to the audience. Judith Muro was
the featured vocalist on the all-time low rider classic, “Angel
Baby” by Rosie and the Originals. The Premiers,
Lawrence Perez on lead guitar and vocals and John Perez on
drums and vocals, performed their 1964 hit record “Farmer
John,” its flipside, the saxophone-featured instrumental
“Duffy’s Blues,” and the guitar-featured
instrumental, “Get Your Baby.” They also
sang the r&b classic “So Fine” by the Fiestas,
accompanied by the ladies. Mickey Lespron of El
Chicano came on next and played an instrumental by Freddy King,
“Side Tracked,” with Lawrence Perez, the guitarists
taking turns and trading licks. Mickey then performed
El Chicano’s 1969 hit “Viva Tirado,” “Coming
Home,” and an excellent new version of the classic Santo
and Johnny instrumental, “Sleepwalk.” This
version will be part of El Chicano’s next CD release.
Bertha Oropeza closed the show with a soulful rendition of
the classic ballad “Sabor a Mi,” backed by Mickey
Lespron on guitar and tore up the place with a rousing version
of “I’m a Good Woman.” She showed
me she’s one of the great Chicana singers around, yet
another major talent from the fertile musical landscape of
East L.A. (Bertha Oropeza was lead vocalist with East
L.A.’s Eastside Connection in the 70s and is currently
singing with the popular L.A. band, Chico.)
Steven and I have discussed the possibility
of my performing with the revue in the future. After
seeing this show, it looks like I would enjoy doing it.
This music is nostalgic, good time, good feeling music that’ll
make you want to get up and dance. I would perform only
songs I recorded in the '60s and other songs from the era. To do more current music
would miss the point of the revue. On Steven Chavez’
business card it says, “East L.A. Revue All Star Band:
True to the Eastside Sound.” That’s what
this revue is all about, doing the music authentically.
There is no attempt to update or modernize the music.
It’s done exactly as it was done in the 60s in East
L.A. I’m happy and grateful that Steven is doing
what he’s doing to keep the classic “Eastside
Sound” alive so it can be enjoyed by the people who
experienced it the first time around, as well as the later
generations who weren’t around when it happened.
Along with the books that have come out on the subject, the
newspaper and magazine articles, the CD reissues, the documentaries
being produced, and my website, the East L.A. Revue All Star
Band is helping to insure that the music and artists of the
60s in East L.A. will not be forgotten.
For more information visit Steven's website:
eastlarevue.com.
Update
On September 13, 2003, I played with The East L.A. Revue All
Star Band at March Field in Riverside, California for the
troops recently returned from Iraq. The troops, along
with their families, enjoyed an afternoon of music, food,
and games. I sat in to play guitar and sing on r&b
classics "Nadine," "Knock On Wood," and
"But It's Alright." See the flyer below with
the lineup.
After a run of about five years, the East L.A. Revue disbanded.
They played uptown venues such as the House of Blues in Hollywood
and B.B. King's at the Universal City Walk in Studio City,
as well as many clubs, city parks, and dance halls on the
Eastside of Los Angeles, including The Hop in Puente Hills
and the Latin Oldies Festival in San Bernardino. While
they lasted, they spread the gospel of the music of the "Eastside
Sound." They brought back memories of the golden
era to those who experienced it the first time around and
introduced it to the younger generations. Steven Chavez
continues to do his part in keeping the legacy of the "Eastside
Sound" alive as President of the Rampart Latino and Golden
Treasures, with plans to reissue some of the classic recordings
of the era. His website
eastlarevue.com
is also an internet radio station with many radio personalities
hosting shows featuring Eastside Sound, Tejano, doo wop, salsa,
and Latin jazz. Steven Chavez is making a big contribution
to the cause of the advancement of the "Eastside Sound"
and Chicano music.
