On Thursday, April
23, 2009 at East Los Angeles College in the gymnasium, Mark
Guerrero's 1970s band, Tango, who recorded an album and
single on A&M Records 1973-74, reunited for an event
celebrating the re-publishing of the book "Land of a
Thousand Dances" by David Reyes and Tom Waldman. The
book about Chicano rock & roll from Southern California is
now available with additional pages, photos, and a new
cover. Original Tango members Mark Guerrero, John
Valenzuela, and Ernie Hernandez performed. Original
bassist Rick Rosas was not available because he was on tour
with Neil Young in Canada so Leo Valenzuela, John's brother,
played bass. Sitting in on keyboard was Alex Del Zoppo,
who played with Sweetwater in the 60s and 70s.
Sweetwater is best known for having played at Woodstock in
'69. Quetzal and Lysa Flores also performed.
Review of "Land of a Thousand Dances" event at ELAC on PBS
website:
Movie Miento
Rockeros
By Adolfo
Guzman-Lopez
April 30, 2009
The Chicano rock
tribes gathered at East L.A. College's gym last week.
There in the bleachers sat sax player Larry Rendon of Thee
Midniters and keyboardist Bobby Espinosa of El Chicano.
Eddie Ayala of Odd Squad and a couple of members of early
80s punk rockers Los Illegals walked around among fans,
signing pages from the new edition of "Land of a Thousand
Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California."
On stage, Mark Guerrero (who as a
teenager led Mark & the Escorts) tore it up with his band
Tango. Mean guitar player Lysa Flores rounded up a few
of her frineds to perform: Dr. Dre bass player Daniel
Sheef, Jaguares bass player Marco Renteria, and Beastie Boys
drummer Alfredo Ortiz. Later, Martha Gonzalez stomped
a fusion of jarocho and Chicano beats on the cajon as she
led the East L.A. fusion band Quetzal.
Video of Mark performing "Walk
On Down" with Tango at East Los Angeles College
"Walk On Down" words and music by Mark Guerrero
Mark & the Escorts Reunion!
Mark Guerrero's band
from 1963-66 reunited for a show called "Blowout 2009" at
the Van Nuys Elk's Lodge in Van Nuys, California on
Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The show started at 3:30 p.m. and continued 'til 1:00 a.m.
Mark & the Escorts performed around 10:30 p.m.
Thirteen classic garage rock and punk bands performed.
Mark's band composed of original members Mark Guerrero, Rick
Rosas, Ernie Hernandez, Robert Warren, and Trini Basulto
performed songs from their 1965 singles on GNP Crescendo
Records and other songs from their song lists of the era.
Filling in for one member who cannot be found was John
Valenzuela on keyboard. Mark & the Escorts were one of
the headliners. The one other Chicano band was another
popular band from the 60s in East L.A., the Ambertones!
The Ambertones went on around 11:00. "Blowout 2009"
was a lot of fun. DJs were spinning classic
garage rock records between bands and Dionysus Records was
selling "Eastside Sound" CDs, including "Eastside Sound, Vol.
2, Featuring Mark & the Escorts." The mostly young
Anglo crowd really enjoyed and appreciated the music of Mark
& the Escorts and the Ambertones. Mark & the Escorts'
set consisted of Chuck Berry's "Rock & Roll Music," Ronnie &
the Casuals' "I Wanna Do the Jerk," The Blendells' "La La La
La La," Mark & the Escorts recordings "Dance With Me,"
"Silly Putty," and "Get Your Baby," the Animals' "We Gotta
Get Out Of This Place," and Cannibal & the Headhunters'
"Land of a Thousand Dances."
Mark & the Escorts (1964)
Video of Mark performing "Dance With Me" with Mark &
the Escorts at Blowout 2009!
"Dance with Me" words and music by Sanchez/Velasquez
Artist of the Month
Mark Guerrero was
the featured artist and pick of the month on crnlive.com
for the month of January 2009. Mark's music and
"Chicano Music Chronicles" radio shows were broadcast on the
Chicano Radio Network for a month.
Premiere of "Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East Los
Angeles"
On October 9, 2008 there
was a premiere of the new documentary "Chicano Rock: The Sounds
of East L.A," which first aired on PBS on Sunday, December 14th. Before the screening there was a "live"
show featuring Pachuco Jose y Los Diamantes, Mark Guerrero, Rudy
& Steve Salas of Tierra, and Frankie Garcia's Cannibal & the
Headhunters Band.
Video of Mark performing
"I'm Brown" at the Million Dollar Theater
"I'm Brown" words
and music by Mark Guerrero
Mark & Dan Guerrero at U.C. Santa Barbara
May 8, 2008
Mark & Dan Guerrerodid a presentation together at a corrido
conference at University of California at Santa Barbara on Thursday
afternoon, May 8, 2008. Mark & Dan did a tribute to their late
father and the "Father of Chicano Music," Lalo Guerrero. The
presentation included clips from Dan's documentary "Lalo Guerrero: The
Original Chicano," musical performances, and a question and answer period.
Mark sang Lalo's "El Corrido de Delano" and his own composition "The Ballad
of Lalo Guerrero." Mark also backed Dan on Lalo's corrido to Chicano
pride, "El Chicano." The event took place in the McCune
Conference Room at the university.
Pima
Community College
Tucson, Arizona
March 18, 2008
Mark Guerrero &
Band concert in Tucson, Arizona- On Tuesday, March 18th,
2008, Mark Guerrero & Band performed at Pima Community
College for LULAC's 19th Annual Leadership Conference.
Mark was once again backed by the Cannibal & the Headhunters Band: Ronnie
Reyes, guitar; Karl Carrasco, keyboard; Art Sanchez, bass: and Robert
Zapata, drums. Mark was on lead vocals, guitar and keyboard.
Mark and the band played the same songs as on the Mr. Duran Show the
previous week.
Art Sanchez, Ron Reyes, Mark Guerrero, Robert Zapata
& Karl Carrasco
Video of the Mark and band
performing "The Streets of East L.A. at Pima Community College
"The Streets of East L.A." words & music by Mark Guerrero
Mr. Duran Show
March 11, 2008
Mark Guerrero &
Band on the Mr. Duran Show- On Tuesday, March 11th,
2008, Mark
Guerrero taped the Mr. Duran Show, which was aired the next
night on Adelphia Cable in parts of the greater East Los
Angeles area and on the internet worldwide. Many East
L.A. bands have performed on the Mr. Duran Show, including
Little Willie G & Thee Midniters and Tierra. You can
view video of their performances on the show on Mr. Duran's
website. Mark was backed by the Cannibal & the
Headhunters Band: Ronnie Reyes, guitar; Karl Carrasco,
keyboard; Art Sanchez, bass: and Robert Zapata, drums.
For this taping, Steve Alaniz was on tenor sax. Mark
was on lead vocals, guitar and keyboard. Mark and the
band did four Mark Guerrero songs and a couple by his
late father and "Father of Chicano Music," Lalo Guerrero.
Check out mrduran.com
to see the videos of the performances and for more info on
Mark Guerrero's taping and airings of the show. You
can also check out the videos on you tube. Click
here to see Mark and the band perform Mark's songs "I'm
Brown," "The Streets of East L.A.," "On the Boulevard," and
"Zoot Suit." You can also see a couple of clips of
Mark's interview with Mr. Duran. Click
here to read my article with a photo gallery on this
concert/interview on Thee Mr. Duran Show.
(left to right- Ron Reyes,
Robert Zapata, Mark Guerrero,
Steve Alaniz, and Art Sanchez
Video of the Mark and band
performing "Zoot Suit" on the Mr. Duran Show
"Zoot Suit" words & music by
Mark Guerrero
Gibson
Amphitheater
Universal City, CA
October 14, 2007
Fundraiser for restoration of the Garfield High School
Auditorium- The concert took take place on Sunday,
October 14, 2007 at the Gibson Amphitheater
(formerly Universal Amphitheater) in Universal City,
CA. Artists who performed were Los Lobos, El Chicano,
Tierra, Little Willie G, Little Joe y La Familia, and
Upground. Mark Guerrero was invited by El Chicano to
sing background vocals with them at the event. Mark is
an alumnus of Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, as
are members of Los Lobos, and many other classic East L.A.
bands such as El Chicano, the Blendells, Thee Midniters,
Little Ray Jimenez, Mark & the Escorts, the Exotics, Los Illegals, and many others, so the restoration has a strong
personal meaning to all of us. The true story of the
movie "Stand and Deliver" took place at Garfield High School
as well as the story of the recent movie "Walkout."
Experience Music Project- Seattle, Washington
"American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music"- a
5,000 square foot multi-media exhibit, which opened on
October 13, 2007 at the prestigious Experience Music Project
Museum in Seattle, Washington. It showcased the Latino
contribution to American popular music. After its
eleven month run at the museum, it traveled to various
cities across the country, including Los Angeles. I
was asked to be a consultant and serve on the advisory board
for the exhibit. I interviewed about a dozen Latino
musicians and was interviewed myself for the exhibit and
their permanent oral history archive. I also loaned
some flyers, band cards, and other memorabilia from my
collection to the exhibit. The exhibit initially ran
for eleven months at EMP in Seattle from October 2007 to
September 2008.
Below
are the places and dates where the exhibit was in residence:
For more info on the exhibit, click
here
to read an article on my website.
Experience
Music Project- Seattle, Washington
Book: "Riot On the Sunset Strip"
Dominic Priore Book Signing with Mark Guerrero as a guest
speaker- OnSaturday, September 8, 2007 at Vroman's Book Store, 695 E. Colorado
Blvd., Pasadena, California, Dominic Priore had a book
signing for his latest book,"Riot On the Sunset Strip,"
which chronicles the mid-60s musical scene on the Sunset
Strip and around L.A. He covers such bands as Buffalo Springfield, Love,
the Byrds, the Doors, and many
others. He also touches on the scene in East L.A. that
produced Cannibal & the Headhunters, the Premiers, the Blendells,
the Midniters, Mark & the Escorts, and many more
"Eastside Sound" bands. Mark Guerrero spoke and
answered questions about his mid-60s bands and scenes they were a part of in East L.A. and Hollywood.
Other speakers were Bobby Espinoza of El Chicano, Mario Panagua of
the Jaguars, Ersi and Rosella Arvizu of the
Sisters, Ruthann Friedman (writer of "Windy" by the
Association), Bob Stane (former owner of the Ice House in
Pasadena), and John "Chris" Christiansen of Opus 1.
Dominic Priore was the moderator of the event. Click
here for Mark Guerrero's article on the event.
Dominic Priore & Mark Guerrero
Marin
County Civic Center
San Rafael, CA
March 29, 2007
On Thursday, March 29, 2007,
Mark Guerrero presented a screening of the documentary "Lalo Guerrero: The
Original Chicano" at the historic Marin County Board of Supervisors Chambers
in San Rafael, California as part of their Cesar Chavez Day festivities.
Mark also spoke, showed clips of some of his performances with Lalo,
as well as performing his and his dad's music solo with acoustic guitar.
To read about the event click
here.
The
Historic Marin County Civic Center Frank Lloyd Wright-
Architect
(building in which
houses the Marin County Board of Supervisors Chambers)
Cesar E.
Chavez Foundation Dinner
Biltmore Hotel- Los Angeles
March 28, 2007
Mark and Dan
Guerrero- On Wednesday, March 28, 2007, Mark Guerrero
performed as part of an acoustic trio at the Seventh Annual Educating
The Heart Awards Dinner put on by the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation. The
event took place at the
Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. There was a segment honoring Mark and Dan's
late father, Lalo Guerrero, in which Dan Guerrero spoke and
presented a 5 minute video on Lalo's life and career.
Mark sang three songs with a trio including his "The
Ballad of Lalo Guerrero," along with Lalo's "El Corrido de
Delano" and "Los Chucos Suaves." The other
musicians in the trio were Alex Armstrong on guitar and Lorenzo "Lencho"
Martinez on guitarrón. The finale was
Dan singing Lalo's song of Chicano pride, "El Chicano," with
Mark and the trio. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also
spoke at the event. The 2007 Cesar E. Chavez Awards
were presented to the governor, Father Gregory J. Boyle
(founder of Homeboy Industries), and posthumously to Lalo
Guerrero. To read about the event click here.
Lorenzo Martinez, Mark Guerrero & Alex Armstrong
Lalo
Guerrero Film & Arts Festival
UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center
March 23, 2007
Mark Guerrero-
On Friday, March 23, 2007, Mark Guerrero performed at
the Gala for the Lalo Guerrero Film and Arts Festival at the
UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center in Palm Desert, California.
Also performing was Chicano rock pioneers, El Chicano.
The concert was part of the gala opening night event which
also included a screening of the documentary, "Lalo
Guerrero: The Original Chicano," produced by Dan Guerrero
and Nancy De Los Santos. To read about the event click
here.
Lorenzo Martinez, Mark Guerrero, and Alex Armstrong
Puro
Mexicano: Tucson Film Festival
Tucson, Arizona
November 2, 2006
On Friday, November 3, 2006, Mark Guerrero performed at
the opening of the Puro Mexicano: Tucson Film
Festival, which featured a screening of the documentary
"Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano" at the Fox Theater in
Tucson, Arizona. Mark performed acoustically with
singer/songwriter/guitarist Tim Weidenkeller, Debbie Daly on
vocal harmony, and Rob Paulus on upright bass. They
performed two Mark Guerrero songs, "Mexican Moon" and
"The Ballad of Lalo Guerrero," in addition to Tim
Weidenkeller's great song inspired by Tucson's Barrio Viejo,
"The New Old Pueblo," and two Lalo Guerrero compositions,
"Los Chucos Suaves" and "El Chicano." The latter song
was sung by Mark's brother, Dan Guerrero. To read
about the concert click here.
Fox Theater Marqee
"The New Old Pueblo" words & music by Tim Wiedenkeller
Cavern
Club
Liverpool, England
July 16, 2006
Mark Guerrero return to Liverpool-
In July of 2006, I
returned to Liverpool, England and performed at the
legendary Cavern Club, where the Beatles played almost 200
times the early 60s. I was backed by Liverpool band
Wheels On Fire on the bill with the legendary 60s Liverpool
rocker Kingsize Taylor. To read the story of my second
trip to Merseyside, go to article 47 on my "Miscellaneous Writings" page.
For the story on my previous trip to Liverpool go to
article 32. See flyer below:
All The Way From The USA
Chicano Rock Singer
Mark Guerrero
As part of his UK Tour
With his Tour Group
Wheels on Fire
Also
J' O'Connor and The Hytones
Also Top Yorkshire
60s Band
Flashback
and
The
King of Hamburg
Kingsize Taylor
Video of Mark performing
"Back In the U.S.S.R." at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England
"Back In the U.S.S.R."
words and music by Lennon / McCartney
Documentary
"Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano"
"Lalo Guerrero: The Original
Chicano," a
documentary on the life and career of Lalo Guerrero, produced by Nancy De
Los Santos and my brother, Dan Guerrero, has been airing across the nation
on PBS stations since the fall of 2006 as part of the "Voces" series, "a
journey DEEP in the HEART and SOUL of LATINO CULTURE." I'm the music supervisor on
the project and my song, "The Ballad of Lalo Guerrero," is played over the
end credits. The documentary features many luminaries commenting on
Lalo Guerrero's influence and impact on Chicano music and culture including
Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Los Lobos, Flaco Jimenez, Paul Rodriguez, Cheech
Marin, Edward James Olmos, Luis Valdez, Cesar Chavez, and others. The DVD comes with a 22 song CD.
The documentary has
also already screened at the Los Angeles International
Latino Film Festival and the Tucson Puro Mexicano Film Festival.
On Friday, March 23, 2007 it screened in Palm Desert, California as part of
the Lalo Guerrero Film and Arts Festival. More festivals will be
announced.
"Lalo
Guerrero: The Original Chicano" DVD/CD
(DVD of the
documentary with a 22 song CD)
Currently Not
Available
Chicano Music Chronicles
Mark Guerrero's "Chicano
Music Chronicles"- My own internet radio show which started in
December 2005 and ran for over a year on crnlive.com. The shows ran one to two hours and featured
the music of the legends and pioneers of Chicano music. My first show
spotlights the music of my dad, the late great "Father of Chicano Music,"
Lalo Guerrero. I play twelve of my favorite Lalo recordings and talk
about the songs and give background information. Most of the shows
include interviews with the artists themselves. Shows I've done with
in studio guests include Trini Lopez, Chan Romero, El Chicano, Tierra,
Little Ray Jimenez, Geree, and Little Willie G. I've also done a show
on my own music. My 10th show features the classic recordings of the
Eastside Sound of the 60s. It includes interviews with members of
Cannibal & the Headhunters, the Premiers, the Blendells, the Romancers, the
Salas Brothers, and the Sisters. My 11th show features the great music
of singer/songwriter Hirth Martinez, with Hirth in studio. The 12th
show features the music of 80s Chicano punk band, Los
Illegals,
with leader and founder, Willie Herrón, bassist Jesus "Xuiy" Velo, and
drummer Bill Reyes. All twelve shows are archived on my website on the
"Chicano Music Chronicles" page.
CRN ad in the
program for the 2006 Alma Awards
CDs
Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder- a
magnificent CD by legendary guitarist/producer on the Nonesuch/Perro
Verde record label, which contains songs and/or vocal performances by Ry
Cooder, Lalo Guerrero, Little Willie G (formerly of Thee Midniters), Ersi
Arvisu (formerly of the Sisters & El Chicano), Rudy Salas of Tierra,
David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, and Don Tosti, among others. The CD's
theme involves the destruction of the barrio of Chavez Ravine to build
Dodger Stadium in the early 60s. The songs are in English, Spanish,
and some are bi-lingual. Pachuco slang, or Caló, is also used
throughout. Hopefully this CD will do for Chicano music what Cooder's
"Buena Vista Social Club" did for Cuban music and some of it's pioneers.
Chavez Ravine is now available in stores.
Lalo Guerrero Comedy CD-
a Lalo Guerrero parody CD called "The Funny Side of Lalo Guerrero" has just
been released nationally on the Brown Bag Records label. It has twelve classic Lalo Guerrero
parodies, including four that have never been available on CD; "To All the
Girls I've Loved Before," "You're Impossible," "Lucila," and "Mr. Jackson."
It's beautifully packaged with quotes from my dad, my brother Dan, and yours
truly. (This CD is no longer available.)
Television
Mark Guerrero on the Mr.
Duran Show- On Tuesday, March 11th, 2008, Mark Guerrero taped an
interview and concert on Thee Mr. Duran Show, which aired every other
Wednesday on Adelphia cable, channel 3 in the Pico Rivera/Hacienda
Heights/City of Industry areas and channel 25 in East L.A. It's also
worldwide on the internet at mrduran.com. Mark performed seven songs backed by a five-piece
band. Click here to read the story and see a
photo gallery of the show.
Ron Reyes,
Robert Zapata, Mark Guerrero, Art Sanchez, and Karl Carrasco
Mark Guerrero on the Mr.
Duran Show- On Tuesday, January 15, 2008, Mark Guerrero taped a guest
spot on Thee Mr. Duran Show. Mark was interviewed with David Reyes,
co-author of the book "Land of a Thousand Dances."
Mr. Duran,
David Reyes, Mark Guerrero & hostess
(photo by Paul Valencia)
Mark Guerrero on East L.A.
cable TV- On Saturday, February 4th, 2006, Mark Guerrero was a guest on
"Eastside Prime Time" with Erik "Chico" Manqueros and Arturo Esparza on
Adelphia cable. It aired in my hometown of East Los Angeles.
Mark
Guerrero, Erik "Chico" Manqueros, and Arturo Esparza
The Talking Stick with Mark
Nichols- The first Native-American-produced television show. Lalo
and Mark Guerrero taped two 1/2 hour shows on June 17, 2004, on Time Warner
Cable (in the Greater Palm Springs area only). The two parts aired
several times during the month of June and had additional airings throughout the
year. On Tuesday, September 9th, Mark Guerrero taped a half hour show
by himself that aired three times in September and also had additional
airings throughout the year.
Mark, Lalo,
and Mark Nichols on " The Talking Stick" (June 17, 2004)
Mark and
Mark Nichols on "The Talking Stick" (September 9, 2004)
Melinda Reed Show- Mark
Guerrero and singer-songwriter/keyboardist, Johnny Mesa, taped a 15 minute
segment discussing the Don Tosti memorial concert, which took place at the
Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs on Sunday afternoon, October 3, 2004. It
aired locally several times in the Coachella Valley on Time Warner Cable in
late September.
Midday Show with Tony Valdez-
Mark Guerrero appeared on the Fox 11 show in Los Angeles on May 4, 2003,
talking about Chicano music, particularly the Eastside Sound of the 60s, and
promoted the upcoming concert at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles featuring
Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán, Lalo Guerrero, and Thee Midniters.
"Fernandomania"-
Documentary on Dodger pitcher of the 80s, Fernando Valenzuela, on ESPN
Classic channel aired for the first time, August 28, 2001. “Fernando,
El Toro” written by Mark Guerrero and “Ole Fernando” written by Lalo
Guerrero were featured, as well as interview sound bytes by Mark & Lalo taped
at Dodger Stadium in July at Fernando Valenzuela Bobble Head Doll Day.
Both songs were recorded by Lalo Guerrero in 1981 and released on Ambiente
Records. Lalo plays a portion of his song during the interview as well.
Midday Show with Tony Valdez-
Mark Guerrero appeared on the Fox 11 show in Los Angeles on June 27, 2010
with other guests musician Anthony Baray and authors David Reyes and Tom
Walman. The subjects of the show were the 40th anniversary
commemoration of the Chicano Moratorium in 1970 and the passing of original
member Cannibal & the Headhunters, Richard "Scar" Lopez.
