In the 1960s, as a
teenager I played on many of my dad's records, usually with
my bands, Mark & the Escorts and Nineteen Eighty Four. Some highlights were
a rocker called "Los Grenudos," his 60s remake of
"Pancho Claus," and his big hit "La Minifalda
de Reynalda," on which I played lead guitar on a 12-string
Rickenbaker. Mark & the Escorts also played some
out of town gigs opening for my dad's orchestra in the early
60s. In our early teens, we traveled with him and his
band and played in Indio, Bakersfield, Stockton, and San Jose,
California, as well as Yuma, Chandler, and Tucson, Arizona.
In the 70s and 80s, I put bands together to back him on many
of his children's records, "Las Ardillitas de Lalo
Guerrero." I also wrote the music to eleven of those recordings,
with my dad writing the Spanish lyric. I would also
sometimes be one of the Ardillita singing voices. Many
of the vocal sessions took place in Mexico City so my dad
and I had some great times recording and hanging out down
there in the early 80s. On the songwriting front, he
also wrote a full Spanish lyric to my song "On the Boulevard."
We also wrote a beautiful ballad together called "Receta
de Amor," on which I wrote the music and he the lyric.
In 1981, during the Fernando Valenzuela phenomenon, my dad
recorded a single containing two songs about the Dodger pitcher,
who had brought such pride to the Latino community in Southern
California. I wrote one of the songs, "Fernando,
El Toro," my dad wrote the other, "Ole Fernando."
The record sold at Dodger Stadium at the concession stands.
In 2001, both songs were included on an ESPN television
show called "Fernandomania," on which my dad and I were
also interviewed about Fernando. The songs were later sent to the baseball hall of fame. My dad and I
did numerous other television and radio shows together, mostly
local shows in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.
Other than a handful of "live" shows we did together
in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, it never occurred to us to
create a show and perform together with a band. It wasn't
until my dad was offered an opportunity to play in Paris,
France in 1998, that he thought to ask me to lead a small
group to perform with him. That group consisted of yours
truly on lead guitar, a guitarrón player, and a drummer.
I also sang a couple of my songs on the show. The show
in Paris was a big hit so when we returned home we kept
it going. Our next opportunity was to perform at the
Getty Museum in Los Angeles for which the band grew to to
six pieces. I eventually came up with the name "The
Second Generation Band" because its members were of my
generation, which is second generation Mexican-American, my
dad being first generation with his parents having been born
in Mexico. The one exception was Alex Armstrong, who
is of my generation, but of Scottish, not Mexican descent. Lalo Guerrero with Mark Guerrero & the Second Generation
Band played eleven shows in the period between 1998 and 2000.
After 2000, I formed my own band called Mark Guerrero &
Radio Aztlán. On several occasions we did shows on the
bill with my dad on which we would back him.
Recordings I
Did with My Father
Colonial Records
(1964-1968)
"El Rock De Las Ardillitas"- electric guitar with my band
Mark & the Escorts
"Señora Gonzalez"- bass
"La Minifalda de Reynalda"- 12 string Rickenbaker electric
guitar with Mark & the Escorts
"Felipe El Hippie"- electric lead guitar with Mark & the Escorts
"El Greñudo"- electric guitar with Mark & the Escorts
"Guitarzan"- electric guitar/vocals with Nineteen Eighty Four
L&M Records (c. 1968)
"Mario From the Barrio"- electric guitar
"Tacos For Two" (60s version)- electric guitar
Cap Latino
(1969)
"Pancho Claus"- electric
guitar with Nineteen Eighty Four
"The Burrito"- electric guitar with Nineteen Eighty Four
"El Tex Mex"- electric guitar with Nineteen Eighty Four
Ambiente Records
(1981-1982)
"Elvis Perez"- electric guitar/bass
"Fernando, El Toro"- wrote song
EMI Records (Las
Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero) (1979-1991)
From the L.P. “La Discoteque de Las Ardillitas de
Lalo Guerrero” (1979) "Gasolina"- electric guitar
"Disco Jalisco"- electric guitar
"Fierbre de Lunes"- electric guitar
From the L.P. "Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero" (1981)
"Azotalo (El Latigo)" ("Whip It")- bass
"La Marea Esta Alta" ("The Tide Is High")- bass
"Mi Perrito"- two electric guitar parts
"Vamos a Silbar"- two electric guitar parts
From the L.P. “Country Al Estilo De Las
Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero” (1982)
"El Pizarrón"- bass/piano
"Soy Un Cowboy"- bass/piano
"Lulubelle"- arrangement, bass/piano
"El Vaquero Urbano"- arrangement, bass/acoustic guitar
"El Paso"- arrangement, bass/acoustic guitar
"El Tex Mex"- arrangement, bass/piano
"Gringo" ("Ringo")- arrangement, bass
From the L.P. "20 Exitos Navideños de Las Ardillitas de Lalo
Guerrero (1981)
"E.T. El Extraterrestre"- wrote music, bass/electric piano
From the L.P. "Panfilo El Rey Del Rock" (1983)
"Panfilo, El Rey Del Rock"- wrote music, bass
"Juegos de Video"- wrote music, bass/piano
"Rocanroleando En Mexico"- wrote music, bass
"Ejercicios Aerobicos"- wrote music, bass/piano
From the L.P. “Aleluya! Es Navidad” (1984)
"Queremos Rock Para Navidad"- wrote music, bass
"Super Santo Clos"- wrote music, bass
"La Computadora (de Santo Clos)", wrote music, bass
"El Niño Jesus"- wrote music, bass/lead guitar
From the L.P. “Mensajes y Locuras” (1991)
"Panfilo El Catrin"- wrote music
"El Sapo"- wrote music
Self Released
"No Chicanos On TV"- bass
"Mexican Mamas (Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Busboys)"-
bass
"Mr. Jackson" ("Mr. Sandman")- bass/keyboard
"Battle Hymn of the Chicano"- bass
Songs I
co-wrote with My
Father (Mark Guerrero music/ Lalo Spanish lyric)
En el Bulevar
Receta de Amor
Quiereme Nomas a Mi
Amor Joven
No Hay Nadie Como El Rock & Roll
Amor Desparejo
El Camion Oloroso
Amiga
Hechicera
For Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero
E.T. El Extraterrestre
Panfilo, El Rey Del Rock
Juegos de Video
Ejercicios Aerobicos
Rocanroleando En Mexico
Queremos Rock Para Navidad
Super Santo Clos
La Computadora (de Santo Clos)
El Niño Jesus
Panfilo El Catrin
El Sapo
Las Ardillitas
de Lalo Guerrero You Tube Video
My second cousin, Denny Guerrero of Mexico City, created a
video, which is a collage of photos and images from our time
recording Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero sessions at EMI studios
in Mexico City in the early eighties. Denny sometimes was
the third ardillita (Demetrio), with yours truly being the
second (Anacleto), and my dad being the star ardillita (Panfilo).
The song featured in the video is "Rocanroleando En Mexico," a
song for which I wrote the music and my dad and I wrote the
lyric.
