Tejano Proud: Tex-Mex Music in the Twentieth Century

 

 

From the dance halls to the main stage, from small town Texas to the big cities, and from treasured local cultural traditions to the national display of Mexican Texas' finest talent, música tejana is rapidly becoming known as a rich and vibrant form of American music. In Tejano Proud: Tex-Mex Music in the Twentieth Century, Guadalupe San Miguel, Jr., chronicles the many dimensions of this important musical form.

Rooted in Mexican culture and shaped by influences from the United States and the rest of the world, the diversity and complexity of this music give an expression to the people and the borderlands culture from which the music grew. San Miguel provides an engaging history of the evolution of música tejana—its ups and downs and its importance to Mexican Texas culture in the context of Anglo-Mexican relations. He also discusses the more recent development of the Tejano recording industry and the role women have begun to play in an industry long dominated by men.

The twentieth century has seen Texas Mexican music balance between the traditional and the modern, remaining rooted in Mexico while taking nourishment from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States. This music has helped shape the daily experiences of Mexican Texans. Today, the music's biggest stars are seen as affirming representations of Tejano ethnic pride.

Readers interested not only in music, but also in ethnic studies and popular culture, will appreciate the broad spectrum covered in Tejano Proud: Tex-Mex Music of the Twentieth Century.

 

 

Sam the Sham & Pharaohs • Wooly Bully

Articulo de http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/

Domingo Samudio, hijo de unos emigrantes mejicanos a Estados Unidos, empezó a cantar en serio cuando fue el elegido para representar a su instituto en un concurso de radio local. Animado por la buena acogida que tuvo decidió montar un grupo de rock and roll con algunos amigos, uno de los cuales era el despues famoso Trini López, sin embargo cuando terminó los estudios decidió enrolarse en la marina, la cual lo envió destinado a Panamá nada menos que 6 años. A su vuelta decidió empezar desde cero, estudiando música clásica y ampliando su dominio de la guitarra y el piano.

En 1961 decidió montar otro grupo, The Pharaohs, pero cuando, despues de mucho esfuerzo, consiguieron editar un single y no se vendió en absoluto la desmoralizada banda se disolvió. Uno de sus miembros, Vincent López, marchó a Louisiana a unirse a Andy & the Nightriders, una prometedora banda de rock and roll que tenía un contrato fijo de actuaciones en un club de allí y que tenía entre sus miembros a David A. Martín, proveniente del grupo de rockabilly Tommy & the Tom Toms. Cuando su organista les falló, Sam (que así se anglicanizó su nombre Domingo Samudio) le sustituyó convirtiéndose pronto en el personaje más popular del grupo debido a su carisma y gracia, haciendo unos coros por detrás al cantante Andy que a veces lo tapaban o a veces practicamente le hacía la voz en playback. Es por esto por lo que poco despues adoptó el apodo de The Sham (el Impostor), aunque ya lo aprovechó para empezar a salir cada vez con más frecuencia vestido con turbante ya que la palabra sham también hace referencia en inglés al término oriental khan. Al final la gente solo iba a ver al estrámbotico Sam por lo que cuando el grupo marchó a Memphis Andy y Vincent López aprovecharon para dejar el grupo y Sam, ya verdadero lider, los sustituyó y cambió el nombre a Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, algo que ya le venía al pelo pues él podía salir con su turbante y sus Faraones vestidos de egipcios. Este orientalismo estético y gusto por los disfraces ha sido despues muy imitado, sobre todo en los últimos años por multitud de bandas que han ido surgiendo en el mundo del rockabilly (The Orientals, Los Otomanos, Little Victor, etc), tambíen en cierto modo su estilo musical, un rock and roll con muchas influencias del surf instrumental y del beat británico, aderezado con el toque latino de Sam que además le da una sello inconfundible con su manera de cantar casi recitando, sin entonar y hablando muchas veces en spanglish en canciones sin sentido, sol para divertir no para hacer pensar.

Es normal por tanto que triunfaran con su tema "Wooly Bully" (1965), el cual vendió en pocas semanas 3 millones de copias y llegó al número dos de las listas. Vinieron luego algunos éxitos menores igual de absurdos pero muy inferiores como "Ju ju hand" o "Ring dang doo" pero Sam creía que debía cobrar más que el resto del grupo y los chicos, enfadados, le dejaron solo (Martín incluso dejó la música para poner un negocio de reparación de televisores). Como nuevos Pharaohs fichó a un grupo que se llamaba Tony Gee & the Gypsys y con ellos grabó "Li´l red riding hood" (1967), un nuevo éxito que llegó al número dos de las listas, y otros temas de su habitual estilo cómico como "The hair on my chinny chin chin" o "El toro de Goro". Para dar mayor espectacularidad a su puesta en escena recluto a tres chicas como bailarinas y coro a las que llamó Las Shamettes y con toda la troupe se marcharon a una gira por Asia. Nada de esto hizo mucha gracia en la banda, muchos de cuyos miembros emepzaban a pensar que estaban haciendo demasiado el payaso decidieron dejarla obligando ahora a Samudio a rebautizarse como Sam the Sham Revue, aunque hay quién dice quitó lo de Pharaohs para no parecer politicamente implicado pues acababa de declararse la guerra entre Egipto e Israel. Poco despues empezó una carrera en solitario que culminó con el álbum "Sam, hard and heavy" (1970) que no he oido y por tanto no opino sobre él pero que fue muy bien acogido por la crítica y premiado. Tras intentar sin éxito montar su viejo grupo a mediados de los 70 se puso a trabajar como compositor para músicos ajenos y para bandas sonoras de películas, destacando su trabajo en el film "La Frontera" (1982). Desde entonces, aunque de vez en cuando hace algún concierto, Sam se ha dedicado más a animador y presentador de eventos y a su nueva afición, la poesía.

Músicos: Sam the Sham (voz y teclados), David A. Martín y Tony "Butch" Gerace (bajo), Butch Gibson (saxo), Frankie Carabetta (teclados y saxo), Jerry Patterson y Billy Bennett (batería), Ray Stinnet y Andy Kuha (guitarra) y Fran Curcio, Lorraine Gennaro y Jane Anderson (coros).

http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/2009/08/sam-sham-pharaohs-dallas-1963-1968.html

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Domingo "Sam" Samudio (born 6 March 1937, Dallas, Texas), better known by his stage name Sam the Sham, is a retired American rock and roll singer. Sam the Sham was known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse with maroon velvet curtains. As the front man for the Pharaohs, he sang on several Top 40 hits in the mid-1960s, notably the Billboard Hot 100 runners up "Wooly Bully" and "Li'l Red Riding Hood".

Full info ...

Automatic translation:
Article of http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/
Domingo Samudio, son of some Mexican emigrants to the United States, began to sing seriously when he was chosen to represent his institute in a local radio contest. Encouraged by the good reception he had decided to set up a rock and roll group with some friends, one of which was the then famous Trini Lopez, however when he finished his studies he decided to enlist in the Navy, which sent him to Panama less than 6 years. On his return he decided to start from scratch, studying classical music and expanding his mastery of guitar and piano.
In 1961 decided to mount another group, The Pharaohs, but when, after much effort, they managed to edit a single and it was not sold at all the demoralized band was dissolved. One of its members, Vincent Lopez, went to Louisiana to join Andy & the Nightriders, a promising rock and roll band that had a fixed contract of performances in a club there and had among its members David A. Martin, from the rockabilly group Tommy & the Tom Toms. When his organist failed them, Sam (who thus became Anglican his name Domingo Samudio) replaced him soon becoming the most popular character of the group due to his charisma and grace, making a chorus behind the singer Andy that sometimes covered him or sometimes I practically did the voice in playback. This is why he soon adopted the nickname of The Sham (the Impostor), although he took advantage of it to begin to leave more and more frequently wearing a turban since the word sham also refers in English to the oriental term khan. At the end people were just going to see the Sam strummer so when the group marched to Memphis Andy and Vincent Lopez took the opportunity to leave the group and Sam, now a real leader, replaced them and changed the name to Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, something that already came to his hair because he could go out with his turban and his Pharaohs dressed as Egyptians. This aesthetic Orientalism and taste for costumes has been imitated, especially in recent years by many bands that have been emerging in the world of rockabilly (The Orientals, The Ottomans, Little Victor, etc), also in a certain way his musical style, a rock and roll with many influences of instrumental surf and the British beat, seasoned with the Latin touch of Sam that also gives him an unmistakable stamp with his way of singing almost reciting, without singing and speaking many times in Spanglish in songs without sense, sun to entertain not to make think.
It is normal for them to triumph with their song "Wooly Bully" (1965), which sold in a few weeks 3 million copies and reached number two on the lists. Then came some minor successes as absurd but very inferior as "Ju ju hand" or "Ring dang doo" but Sam thought he should charge more than the rest of the group and the boys, angry, left him alone (Martin even left the music to start a TV repair business). As new Pharaohs he signed a group called Tony Gee & the Gypsys and with them recorded "Li'l red riding hood" (1967), a new success that reached number two on the charts, and other themes of his usual style comic like "The hair on my chinny chin chin" or "The bull of Goro". To give more spectacular to its staging, I recruit three girls as dancers and choir called Las Shamettes and the whole troupe went on a tour of Asia. None of this was very funny in the band, many of whose members began to think that they were doing too much clown decided to leave her now forcing Samudio to rename himself as Sam the Sham Revue, although some say he removed the Pharaohs to not seem politically involved The war between Egypt and Israel had just been declared. Soon after, he started a solo career that culminated with the album "Sam, hard and heavy" (1970) that I have not heard and therefore I do not think about him but he was very well received by the critics and awarded. After unsuccessfully trying to set up his old group in the mid-70s, he started working as a composer for other musicians and for film soundtracks, highlighting his work in the film "La Frontera" (1982). Since then, although he occasionally does some concert, Sam has dedicated himself more to animator and presenter of events and to his new hobby, poetry.
Musicians: Sam the Sham (vocals and keyboards), David A. Martin and Tony "Butch" Gerace (bass), Butch Gibson (sax), Frankie Carabetta (keyboards and saxophone), Jerry Patterson and Billy Bennett (drums), Ray Stinnet and Andy Kuha (guitar) and Fran Curcio, Lorraine Gennaro and Jane Anderson (chorus).
http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/2009/08/sam-sham-pharaohs-dallas-1963-1968.html

Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs • Ten Songs For You

 

 

Articulo de http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/

Domingo Samudio, hijo de unos emigrantes mejicanos a Estados Unidos, empezó a cantar en serio cuando fue el elegido para representar a su instituto en un concurso de radio local. Animado por la buena acogida que tuvo decidió montar un grupo de rock and roll con algunos amigos, uno de los cuales era el despues famoso Trini López, sin embargo cuando terminó los estudios decidió enrolarse en la marina, la cual lo envió destinado a Panamá nada menos que 6 años. A su vuelta decidió empezar desde cero, estudiando música clásica y ampliando su dominio de la guitarra y el piano.

En 1961 decidió montar otro grupo, The Pharaohs, pero cuando, despues de mucho esfuerzo, consiguieron editar un single y no se vendió en absoluto la desmoralizada banda se disolvió. Uno de sus miembros, Vincent López, marchó a Louisiana a unirse a Andy & the Nightriders, una prometedora banda de rock and roll que tenía un contrato fijo de actuaciones en un club de allí y que tenía entre sus miembros a David A. Martín, proveniente del grupo de rockabilly Tommy & the Tom Toms. Cuando su organista les falló, Sam (que así se anglicanizó su nombre Domingo Samudio) le sustituyó convirtiéndose pronto en el personaje más popular del grupo debido a su carisma y gracia, haciendo unos coros por detrás al cantante Andy que a veces lo tapaban o a veces practicamente le hacía la voz en playback. Es por esto por lo que poco despues adoptó el apodo de The Sham (el Impostor), aunque ya lo aprovechó para empezar a salir cada vez con más frecuencia vestido con turbante ya que la palabra sham también hace referencia en inglés al término oriental khan. Al final la gente solo iba a ver al estrámbotico Sam por lo que cuando el grupo marchó a Memphis Andy y Vincent López aprovecharon para dejar el grupo y Sam, ya verdadero lider, los sustituyó y cambió el nombre a Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, algo que ya le venía al pelo pues él podía salir con su turbante y sus Faraones vestidos de egipcios. Este orientalismo estético y gusto por los disfraces ha sido despues muy imitado, sobre todo en los últimos años por multitud de bandas que han ido surgiendo en el mundo del rockabilly (The Orientals, Los Otomanos, Little Victor, etc), tambíen en cierto modo su estilo musical, un rock and roll con muchas influencias del surf instrumental y del beat británico, aderezado con el toque latino de Sam que además le da una sello inconfundible con su manera de cantar casi recitando, sin entonar y hablando muchas veces en spanglish en canciones sin sentido, sol para divertir no para hacer pensar.

Es normal por tanto que triunfaran con su tema "Wooly Bully" (1965), el cual vendió en pocas semanas 3 millones de copias y llegó al número dos de las listas. Vinieron luego algunos éxitos menores igual de absurdos pero muy inferiores como "Ju ju hand" o "Ring dang doo" pero Sam creía que debía cobrar más que el resto del grupo y los chicos, enfadados, le dejaron solo (Martín incluso dejó la música para poner un negocio de reparación de televisores). Como nuevos Pharaohs fichó a un grupo que se llamaba Tony Gee & the Gypsys y con ellos grabó "Li´l red riding hood" (1967), un nuevo éxito que llegó al número dos de las listas, y otros temas de su habitual estilo cómico como "The hair on my chinny chin chin" o "El toro de Goro". Para dar mayor espectacularidad a su puesta en escena recluto a tres chicas como bailarinas y coro a las que llamó Las Shamettes y con toda la troupe se marcharon a una gira por Asia. Nada de esto hizo mucha gracia en la banda, muchos de cuyos miembros emepzaban a pensar que estaban haciendo demasiado el payaso decidieron dejarla obligando ahora a Samudio a rebautizarse como Sam the Sham Revue, aunque hay quién dice quitó lo de Pharaohs para no parecer politicamente implicado pues acababa de declararse la guerra entre Egipto e Israel. Poco despues empezó una carrera en solitario que culminó con el álbum "Sam, hard and heavy" (1970) que no he oido y por tanto no opino sobre él pero que fue muy bien acogido por la crítica y premiado. Tras intentar sin éxito montar su viejo grupo a mediados de los 70 se puso a trabajar como compositor para músicos ajenos y para bandas sonoras de películas, destacando su trabajo en el film "La Frontera" (1982). Desde entonces, aunque de vez en cuando hace algún concierto, Sam se ha dedicado más a animador y presentador de eventos y a su nueva afición, la poesía.

Músicos: Sam the Sham (voz y teclados), David A. Martín y Tony "Butch" Gerace (bajo), Butch Gibson (saxo), Frankie Carabetta (teclados y saxo), Jerry Patterson y Billy Bennett (batería), Ray Stinnet y Andy Kuha (guitarra) y Fran Curcio, Lorraine Gennaro y Jane Anderson (coros).

http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/2009/08/sam-sham-pharaohs-dallas-1963-1968.html

///////

Domingo "Sam" Samudio (born 6 March 1937, Dallas, Texas), better known by his stage name Sam the Sham, is a retired American rock and roll singer. Sam the Sham was known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse with maroon velvet curtains. As the front man for the Pharaohs, he sang on several Top 40 hits in the mid-1960s, notably the Billboard Hot 100 runners up "Wooly Bully" and "Li'l Red Riding Hood".

Full info ...

Automatic translation:
Article of http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/
Domingo Samudio, son of some Mexican emigrants to the United States, began to sing seriously when he was chosen to represent his institute in a local radio contest. Encouraged by the good reception he had decided to set up a rock and roll group with some friends, one of which was the then famous Trini Lopez, however when he finished his studies he decided to enlist in the Navy, which sent him to Panama less than 6 years. On his return he decided to start from scratch, studying classical music and expanding his mastery of guitar and piano.
In 1961 decided to mount another group, The Pharaohs, but when, after much effort, they managed to edit a single and it was not sold at all the demoralized band was dissolved. One of its members, Vincent Lopez, went to Louisiana to join Andy & the Nightriders, a promising rock and roll band that had a fixed contract of performances in a club there and had among its members David A. Martin, from the rockabilly group Tommy & the Tom Toms. When his organist failed them, Sam (who thus became Anglican his name Domingo Samudio) replaced him soon becoming the most popular character of the group due to his charisma and grace, making a chorus behind the singer Andy that sometimes covered him or sometimes I practically did the voice in playback. This is why he soon adopted the nickname of The Sham (the Impostor), although he took advantage of it to begin to leave more and more frequently wearing a turban since the word sham also refers in English to the oriental term khan. At the end people were just going to see the Sam strummer so when the group marched to Memphis Andy and Vincent Lopez took the opportunity to leave the group and Sam, now a real leader, replaced them and changed the name to Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, something that already came to his hair because he could go out with his turban and his Pharaohs dressed as Egyptians. This aesthetic Orientalism and taste for costumes has been imitated, especially in recent years by many bands that have been emerging in the world of rockabilly (The Orientals, The Ottomans, Little Victor, etc), also in a certain way his musical style, a rock and roll with many influences of instrumental surf and the British beat, seasoned with the Latin touch of Sam that also gives him an unmistakable stamp with his way of singing almost reciting, without singing and speaking many times in Spanglish in songs without sense, sun to entertain not to make think.
It is normal for them to triumph with their song "Wooly Bully" (1965), which sold in a few weeks 3 million copies and reached number two on the lists. Then came some minor successes as absurd but very inferior as "Ju ju hand" or "Ring dang doo" but Sam thought he should charge more than the rest of the group and the boys, angry, left him alone (Martin even left the music to start a TV repair business). As new Pharaohs he signed a group called Tony Gee & the Gypsys and with them recorded "Li'l red riding hood" (1967), a new success that reached number two on the charts, and other themes of his usual style comic like "The hair on my chinny chin chin" or "The bull of Goro". To give more spectacular to its staging, I recruit three girls as dancers and choir called Las Shamettes and the whole troupe went on a tour of Asia. None of this was very funny in the band, many of whose members began to think that they were doing too much clown decided to leave her now forcing Samudio to rename himself as Sam the Sham Revue, although some say he removed the Pharaohs to not seem politically involved The war between Egypt and Israel had just been declared. Soon after, he started a solo career that culminated with the album "Sam, hard and heavy" (1970) that I have not heard and therefore I do not think about him but he was very well received by the critics and awarded. After unsuccessfully trying to set up his old group in the mid-70s, he started working as a composer for other musicians and for film soundtracks, highlighting his work in the film "La Frontera" (1982). Since then, although he occasionally does some concert, Sam has dedicated himself more to animator and presenter of events and to his new hobby, poetry.
Musicians: Sam the Sham (vocals and keyboards), David A. Martin and Tony "Butch" Gerace (bass), Butch Gibson (sax), Frankie Carabetta (keyboards and saxophone), Jerry Patterson and Billy Bennett (drums), Ray Stinnet and Andy Kuha (guitar) and Fran Curcio, Lorraine Gennaro and Jane Anderson (chorus).
http://diccionariorocker.blogspot.com.ar/2009/08/sam-sham-pharaohs-dallas-1963-1968.html