November 2015

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November 2015
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Rubén Ramos & The Mexican Revolution
Continue To Gather Music Awards
Remmy Valenzuela nominado en la categoría
del Mejor álbum norteño por Latin GRAMMY®
Tejana Singer Elida Reyna
INSIDE: ARTICLES ON LATINO ART, MUSIC,
CULTURE, HEALTH AND BUSINESS
ARRIBA-11/5-11/12/15 pg2
Musician David Rodriguez Garza Dies
David Roland Rodriguez Garza,
folk music singer, performer and poet,
passed away on October 26.
David
was born on
January 1,
1952, in
Houston,
Texas, and was
raised there.
David’s
paternal roots
lay in Mexico,
and his
mother’s older
sister, Eva
Garza,
recorded for Decca Records during the
1950s. At the age of two, he contracted
polio and as a result, Rodriguez has
worn a leg brace and walked with a cane
ever since. Because his mobility was
restricted, his parents bought him a
guitar. By the age of fourteen, David
was playing in a rock band, a year later
in a folk group, and by the close of his
teens, was the pianist in an avant-garde
ensemble.
His early musical influences
included Lightnin’ Hopkins, Townes Van
Zandt, Lydia Mendoza, and Jerry Jeff
Walker. By his early twenties, David
was a law and economics graduate, now
based in Austin, where he spent well
over the next decade playing music in
Texas listening rooms. In 1984 deciding
to spend more time with his young
family, David gave up playing music
and joined an Austin law practice. A
political activist during 1990, Rodriguez
ran for a seat in the Texas state legislature, but failed to secure victory.
The same year, on May 31, in the
now-defunct Austin club, Chicago
House, David recorded the self released
cassette Man Against Beast. During
September the following year, at
Anderson Fair in Houston, a club made
famous by the Nanci Griffith song, Spin
On A Red Brick Floor, Rodriguez
recorded his show and self-released it on
cassette early the following year as
Avatars, Angels And Ashes. The
recording featured the fiddle playing of
David’s then twelve-year-old daughter,
Carrie Luz Rodriguez.
His daughter Carrie has become a
nationally recognized artist. David’s
sister, Leticia Rodriguez, is also a well
known singer based in Austin.
Released by the now-defunct,
South Texas-based Dejadisc label, The
True Cross [1992] featured the Man
Against Beast cassette, plus a bonus live
track - that featured a duet vocal with
Lucinda Williams.
Landing 92, a Swiss Brambus label
release was
composed of ten
tracks. The
Friedens Angel,
Rodriguez’s second
Brambus release,
appeared in 1994
featuring four
songs recorded live
in Chur, Switzerland, during
May1993.
Forgiveness
was a 1994
cassette-only release on World Records and
was recorded in Austin. Third Coast Music,
an Austin monthly music magazine, voted
Rodriguez the Best Texas Songwriter for
three consecutive years beginning in 1992.
Rodriguez decided to settle in The
Netherlands in 1994 and lived there until
his death.
During January 1995, in the Dutch
town of Eindhoven, David recorded Proud
Heart and the collection was produced by
Dutch songwriter Ad Van Meurs aka The
Watchman. Continental Records Services,
the European subsidiary of Rounder
Records, released the collection in Europe
later that year on the Continental Song City
label. The liner credited the recording to
Rodriguez.
That same year David performed at
the 1995 Kerrville Folk Festival.
In 1998, when Lyle Lovett recorded
Step Inside This House, his two-CD
tribute to singer-songwriters who were born
or based themselves in Texas, he included
Rodriguez’s Ballad Of The Snow Leopard
And The Tanqueray Cowboy. The song
also appeared on the soundtrack to the
Lawrence Kasdan movie Mumford [1999].
During late 2004 Rodriguez selfreleased the recording The Lonesome
Drover, and the collection was produced by
Dutch singer-songwriter J. W. Roy.
David Rodriguez shared stages with
Nanci Griffith, Dar Williams, Ani Di
Franco, Eric Taylor, Michelle Shocked, and
Lyle Lovett and many other nationally
recognized artists. He was well respected
and recognized by musicians throughout the
world and they all would have agreed with
Lucinda Williams who referred to David as
a “musical genius.”
A memorial service will held in
Austin, on Friday, January 1, 2016 at 2 pm.
The service will be held at the Sahara
Lounge, 1413 Webberville Road.
Source: Leticia Rodriguez, Wikipedia
and www.davidrodriguez.nl/music
The Texas Talent Musicians Association Announces Winners
Elida Reyna Won Female Vocalist of the Year and the Album of the Year
The Texas Talent Musicians
Association (TTMA), producers of
the 35th Annual Tejano Music
Awards (TMA) held the gala event
on Saturday, October 24th at the
Tobin Center of the Performing
Arts in San Antonio. The awards
were hosted by the comedian
Efrain “Happy” Guerrero.
The Special Lifetime
Achievement Award was given to
Austin based Ruben “El Gato
Negro” Ramos and from Edinburg,
Roberto “El Primo” Pulido. The
pioneers in the industry are known
for their originality that spearheaded the growth of Tejano music
in the 20th century.
The following are the
winners in each category, as voted
upon by the Tejano Industry members and fans: Siggno had four
wins, including Song of the Year,
Te Llevare; Album of the Year –
Norteño - Zodiacal and their
vocalist, Jesse Turner, won in both
the Male Vocalist of the Year and
Entertainer of the Year categories.
Elida Reyna won in two categories,
including Female Vocalist of the
Year and the Album of the Year –
Tejano - Al Fin Completa (Elida
Reyna y Avante), and shared one as
Vocal Duo of the Year - Elida
Reyna & Jay Perez for Siempre
Seras Para Mi.
The remaining four categories include: Album of the Year –
Conjunto- El Siguiente Capitulo –
The Hometown Boys; Best New
Artist – Male - Juan Jose
Rodriguez (Bajo Zero); Best New
Artist – Female - Yvonne Ramos
(Yvonne Ramos y Grupo Fuego)
and Best New Artist – Group Grupo Imagen.
Among the top nominees in
several categories is Austin’s A J
Castillo who was nominated as
Entertainer of the Year, Tejano
Album of the Year for Sin Limites
and also Male Vocalist of the Year.
For more information visit
the official TMA website
www.tejanomusicawards.com.
ARRIBA-11/5-11/12/15 pg.3
Remmy Valenzuela nominado en la categoría
del Mejor álbum norteño por Latin GRAMMY®
Originario de Guasave,
Sinaloa, Remmy Valenzuela
(Remigio Alejandro Valenzuela
Buelna) de 24 años de edad, sigue
cosechando el éxito dentro del
género competido del Regional
Mexicano. Valenzuela es uno de
los intérpretes más conocidos de
este género, por su talento, voz y
su destreza con el acordeón. Es lo
que lo ha llevado a recibir varios
reconocimientos por sus obras
musicales, incluyendo Mi Vida En
Vida, De Alumno A Maestro
(2014) y Te Olvidaré (2013) en
Fonovisa / Universal Music Group.
La Academia Latina de la
Grabación® anunció las
nominaciones para la 16a. entrega
anual del Latin GRAMMY® y
Valenzuela está nominado en la
categoría del Mejor álbum norteño
por el disco, Mi Vida En Vida.
“El grupo de nominados de
este año verdaderamente
personifica y representa una
comunidad musical latina
internacional considerablemente
diversa, ecléctica e integral, que es
un testimonio del proceso de
votación de La Academia Latina de
la Grabación”, dijo Gabriel Abaroa
Jr., Presidente/CEO de La
Academia Latina de la Grabación.
“Con tantos profesionales de la
música que participan en el
proceso de adjudicación, es
gratificante ver a tantos creadores,
artistas y productores que obtienen
el reconocimiento de sus colegas.
Con esta lista de nominados los
Latin GRAMMYs® están seguro
de tener una de las celebraciones
más grandes de la música latina
hasta el momento”.
Un par de temas cual
forman parte de su nuevo álbum de
banda, Mi Princesa, son ¿Por Qué
Me Ilusionaste? (original de Brian
Sandoval y a la venta en iTunes),
junto con la canción norteña de
nombre Caricias Clandestinas,
próximo va a salir en México y
Estados Unidos en noviembre.
Valenzuela forma parte de
la nueva generación de música
Regional Mexicana y es
galardonado con el premio
‘Revelación Juvenil’de Premios
Juventud 2015, y fue nominado
para los Premios Bandamax de
México en la categoría de ‘Artista
o Grupo Revelación’, los cuales se
llevaron a cabo el 11 de agosto. En
abril, fue finalista para el Billboard
Latin Award.
El joven sigue siendo un
soñador realista, trabajador,
creativo y perseverante, siempre
enfrentando el próximo reto y
visualizando su futuro repleto de
éxito y disfrutando junto con su
público la música que él les
entrega.
La 16a. Entrega Anual del
Latin GRAMMY® está
programada para el jueves, 19 de
noviembre, en el MGM Grand
Garden Arena en Las Vegas. Será
transmitida en vivo por la cadena
Univision de 8-11 p.m. hora Este/
Pacífico (7 p.m. Centro). Para más
informes, www.latingrammy.com
FUENTE: Latin Grammy,
Fonovisa Records
To Advertise in Arriba
Request media kit:
[email protected]
ARRIBA-11/5-11/12/15 pg.4
Community A e ed
o e e o eo
Community Altars:
Ofrendas
Inspired from
the States of
Mexico,
coincides with
the Mexic-Arte
Museum’s 32nd
Annual Celebration of Día
de los Muertos
(the Day of the
Dead).
This
year’s exhibition which runs
through November 22nd
features artists,
community
groups, and
individuals who created commemorative altars inspired by the various
states of Mexico (highlighting
Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco,
Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, San
Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Mexico D.F.,
and Coahuila). Each region has its
own nuances and unique customs on
the celebration; the altars on display
visually highlight regional and
cultural differences among the
various Mexican states.
Día de los Muertos is an
ancient, Mexican and Mexican
American religious holiday with a
historically rich traditionthat integrates both pre-Columbian and
Catholic customs. It is often celebrated on November 1 and 2
in connection with the Catholic Holy
Days of All Saints’ Day and All
Souls’ Day (dates and length of the
celebration vary by state or region).
In the celebrants’ minds, the holiday
is a time to honor and greet their
deceased relatives and friends, who
make the journey back from Mictlan
(the underworld in Aztec culture) to be
with the living each year. These days
are a time for families and friends to
gather in celebration of life and death,
embracing the circle of life rather than
loss and sorrow.
Finally, the Mexic-Arte Museum staff collaboratively worked to
create an Austin altar dedicated to
individuals who have contributed to the
museum over the past 31 years. Traditional and contemporary interpretations
of Day of the Dead folk art by Mexican
artists are displayed throughout the
gallery.
These creations evidence the
impact of Day of the Dead celebrations
upon artistic culture beyond the tradition of altar making.
Mexic-Arte Museum acknowledges and thanks all the individuals
participating in the exhibition, for
sharing their traditions and generously
working on the altars on display.
Se Busca Repartidores
Para [email protected]
o Aee in Arriba
Request media kit: [email protected]
T
ARRIBA-11/5-11/12/15 pg.5
Natalia Lafourcade encabeza la lista en
Latin Grammy con seis nominaciones
La Cantante Natalia
Lafourcade Leonel Garcia encabeza
la lista con seis nominaciones,
seguido por Natalia Lafourcade
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(Natalia Lafourcade)
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febrero de 1984 en la Ciudad de
Mexico.Sin pasar por el proceso
regular de la preparatoria, entro a la
escuela de musica Fermatta para
estudiar guitarra, despues piano y
finalmente a canto. En Fermatta
conocio a personas que le aportaron
referencias musicales que se
convertiri an en algunas de sus
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Apple, Tori Amos, The Cardigans,
Ella Fitzgerald, Radiohead y a PJ
Harvey, entre muchos otros.
En Boston, asistio a un
programa de entrenamiento musical
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grabocon la ayuda de un amigo.
Formo una banda con Juan
Manuel Torreblanca, uno de los
responsables de sus nuevas
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indigo, una especie de jazz
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enfocar su carrera como solista.
Tres años despues tuvo la
oportunidad de ser parte de una
banda de pop rock firmada por Sony,
pero al no identificarse con la
agrupacion, rechazo la oferta. El
acercamiento a la disquera le abrio
la oportunidad de mostrar lo que en
realidad queri a hacer. Logro
llevarles demos que le consiguieron
un contrato.
En Italia grabo con Loris
Ceroni y con uOQUN hCmOUHQN y
editaron el disco vwxwz{w |w}~€w‚ƒ
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fama en compani a de La Forquetina
y formaron una banda. Juntos grabaron
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anos continuos hasta ese punto, llenos
de tributos, musica para peliculas, sus
propias canciones y multiples
actividades, tomo un descanso. En el
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donde se hospedaba fue una casa repleta
de musicos y recibi a musica distinta y
atractiva constantemente. El primer
resultado de esta nueva etapa fue el
disco instrumental |wˆ ‡wx€o
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conocido por sus trabajos con Cerati y
Juana Molina.
Simultaneamente concibio 13
canciones que conforman su album 
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discos comparten inspiraciones,
pensamientos, reflexiones, despertares y
el renacimiento de la autora y fue
nominado al Grammy Latino y Americano.Durante este tiempo, tambien
presto su voz para doblar la pelicula
animada Œz ’wx~ con ”~xwˆ y realizo
la musica de la serie de television |~wˆ
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producido musicalmente a artistas como
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video con colaboraciones de artistas
como Gilberto Gil, Vicentico, Miguel
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Leon Larregui \£NU]c Leonardo de
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Johansen, entre muchos otros.
Veladoras
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ARRIBA-11/5-11/12/15 «¬­®
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Jorge Chapa, a former professor at UT Austin died unexpectedly
on Monday, October 19th.
Professor Chapa joined
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign in 2011, after having
served as the director of the Center
on Democracy in a Multiracial
Society on the Urbana-Champaign
campus.
¯°±²³ he received his PhD
´µ¶· ¸°³ ¹º±»³µ¼±¸½ ¶´ ¾¿²±´¶µº±¿À
Á³µÂ³²³½ ±º öı¶²¶Å½, Jorge
considered himself a demographer
with a policy bent. He was widely
published on the subjects of Latino
policy issues and demographic
trends and their political implications.
Ʊ¼ ¼³·±º¿² ÇÈÈÉ Ê¶¶Â ¶º
Latino immigration to the Midwest, Apple Pie and Enchiladas
(co-authored with Ann V. Millard
on the University of Texas Press) is
the standard treatment of one of the
most important political and
demographic changes to the region
in the past generation.
Ƴ Ë¿¼ ¸°³ ¿Ì¸°¶µ, editor, coauthor or co-editor of twelve
ʶ¶Â¼Í ¿²¶ºÅ ˱¸° ÎÌʲ±¼°±ºÅ
fifteen refereed journal articles and
eighteen ʶ¶Â chapters.
Jorge was also very much
involved in the scholarship of
public engagement, writing for and
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academic audiences in Illinois and
around the country. In particular,
°³ ˶µÂ³Ï ¶º ·¿º½ »¶¸±ºÅ µ±Å°¸¼
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about the use of data in these cases.
At IGPA, Jorge contributed to
the policy conversation in Illinois
on these subjects in these past four
years through public writing,
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with state agencies and legislative
groups.
This academic year, he was
the co-principal investigator of the
Race and Inequality Policy Initiative. In this Initiative, Jorge was
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of racial and ethnic minority
groups in undergraduate and
graduate education in the state’s
colleges and universities.
Ƴ Ë¿¼ ¿²¼¶ ±º»¶²»³Ï ¿¸ ¸°³
campus level in initiatives to
improve the representation and
success of such students in higher
education.
Jorge’s cheerful demeanor,
positive attitude, and willingness to
help will be greatly missed by the
many people he met.
Seasonal Contract Employment
Appraisal Review Board Members
Full/Part Time May – September 2016
The Travis Appraisal Review Board is seeking individuals to
serve as members of a citizen review board. Members must be
impartial and have the ability to listen,exercise good judgement
and follow the strictures of the Texas Property Tax Code. Members
are appointed by the Travis County Local Administrative Judge
serve two year terms. Must be a current resident of Travis County
and have lived in the County for at least two years.
Must be available to work Monday – Friday and Saturday if
needed. Hours may vary but will generally be between the hours
of 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Members receive per diem pay of up-to $140.00 for a full
day.For more information or to download application visit
http://traviscad.org/arb.html
Questions may be directedto:[email protected]
or by calling the taxpayer liaison, Mr. Henry Johnson, at 512-8349317 x 582.
Deadline to apply November 30, 2015
ARRIBA-11/5-11/12/15 ëìíî
James Maciel es buen ejemplo para los jóvenes
"Quiero ser un buen cirujano en
salas de emergencia en zonas de bajos
recursos, donde viven personas que
como yo andaba en las calles", explicó
James Maciel, quien se graduó este
año en la Universidad de California en
Los Ángeles (UCLA). Maciel trabaja
ahora como médico residente en el
departamento de cirugía del Centro
Médico Harbor UCLA, entidad que
atiende un alto el número de heridos
por violencia callejera en el sur de Los
Ángeles y donde los especialistas lo
entrenan para ser cirujano.
"Es una gran bendición para mí
ser ya un médico, porque a mí me
dispararon pandilleros en la calle, pero
no me cayó ni un balazo", recordó de
los días en los que solía pintar paredes
con grafiti.
El médico agradece haber tenido
la oportunidad de estudiar medicina
gracias a una beca y busca en el futuro
impulsar un proyecto de apoyo a
heridos por violencia entre pandillas.
"¿De qué sirve que en el hospital
los suturemos y después los
regresamos al barrio donde les
alimentan deseos de venganza?", se
preguntó este médico californiano de
34 años.
Precisó que la manera de
intervenir ese ciclo de violencia, que
lleva muchas veces a la muerte, es
proveerles a los pandilleros
oportunidades de estudio, trabajo y
llevarlos, incluso, a vivir a otro
vecindario.
Maciel recuerda también los seis
meses de cárcel que pasó en 1997 por
portar un arma y andar pintando las
paredes en las calles junto con amigos
de una escuela secundaria de Santa
Ana. "La que me hizo recapacitar fue
mi esposa Priscilla, con quien hoy
tenemos tres hijos, porque me dijo que
me iba a dejar cuando tenía el primer
niño y estaba embarazada del
segundo", recordó Maciel. "Yo la amo
y como soy pintor mi papá me
consiguió trabajo pintando anuncios;
cuatro años después con Priscilla
comenzamos a estudiar en el colegio
comunitario", recordó.
Maciel fue becado por el
programa de liderazgo "Prime" de
UCLA, en el que estudiantes de
medicina sirven en hospitales de
comunidades de bajos recursos al
graduarse. "No pueden dejar que los
errores del presente definan quienes
serán en el futuro", aconseja Maciel a
los jóvenes bajo riesgo de pandillas en
las calles de Estados Unidos.
"Donde yo crecí nadie pensaba
en estudiar en la universidad, me costó
graduarme, pero hoy soy médico. ¿Si
yo pude, porqué tú no?", se preguntó
el doctor de origen mexicano.
Agregó que cuando comenzó a
estudiar, también pensó en combinarlo
con su otro deseo de ser capellán "para
apoyar a mis pacientes dándoles
esperanza de vida". Christian De
Virgilio, presidente interino del
departamento de cirugía de HarborUCLA, dijo que lo logrado por Maciel
"es único".
"Él vino de un fondo de
desventaja y era un padre cuando
todavía era un adolescente", subrayó.
"No solo ha logrado graduarse de una
de las escuelas de medicina más
importantes del país, sino que fue
aceptado en una residencia en cirugía
muy competitiva", señaló el
especialista originario de Argentina.
Por su parte, Priscilla Maciel,
graduada en sicología de la
Universidad Estatal de California en
Fullerton, dijo que "significa
muchísimo ver que James ya es
médico".
"Toda la comunidad está muy
orgullosa de él, porque es un buen
ejemplo para los jóvenes", agregó. "A
las novias o esposas de jóvenes en
situaciones duras sólo les aconsejo
que siempre estén ahí cuando las
necesitan, el amor es clave para
ayudarlos", concluyó.
TRAVIS COUNTY WANTS
TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU
Travis County Purchasing Office is located at 700 Lavaca
Street, Suite 800, Austin, Texas, Ph: (512) 854-9700 or
Fax: (512) 854-9185. Please visit our web page at
www.traviscountytx.gov/purchasing/solicitation.asp for all
current bid solicitations.
CYD V. GRIMES, C.P.M., CPPO
COUNTY PURCHASING AGENT
City of Austin
Purchasing Office
The City of Austin Purchasing Office invites you to view current
bid solicitations at http://www.austintexas.gov/purchase/vs/p4.htm.
Vendors are encouraged to register on-line in the City’s Vendor Self
Service System. Once your company is registered, you will receive
notifications about new bid opportunities. For additional
information regarding current bid opportunities or Vendor
Registration, please call the Purchasing Office at 512-974-2500.
For information on the City of Austin’s Minority Owned and
Women-Owned Procurement Program and the certification
process, please contact the Small & Minority Business Resources
Department at 512-974-7600 or visit their website at http://
www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
Send a letter to The Editor at:
[email protected]
þ T þÿ
Continue To Music Awards
ARRIBA-11/5-1ïðïòðïóôõö
þÿR
Austin based Rubén
Ramos & The Mexican
Revolution are among the
Texas musical artists nominated for a Latin Grammy in
this year’s list of talent. The
band is up for the award for
their recent production, El
Ídolo De Tejas, (Revolution
Records). The awards will be
telecast on November 19th
from Las Vegas.
The Tejano Music
Awards held last month also
recognized Ramos with the
well deserved Lifetime
Achievment Award in San
Antonio, along with Roberto
Pulido.
Born in Sugarland, Texas, Ruben
Perez Ramos now sits at the helm of a
family musical legacy borne over 80 years
ago. This legacy - El Legado - is set with
traditional Mexican roots, was infused
with the big-band sound of the 1940s,
heavily influenced by blues and rock, and
is now perched at the pinnacle of La
Onda: Tejano.
The Ramos musical legacy began in
post-World War I Texas. Ruben's uncles
began performing just after World War I in
1919 as Juan Manuel Perez and the
Serenaders (Los Serenateros). Between
1919 and 1941, the Serenaders eventually
included all nine of Ruben's uncles. At the
start of World War II, five of the Perez
brothers went into the military. Ruben's
grandmother proudly displayed the small
banner with five stars representing five
sons in service during the war. The
Serenaders took a break.
Meanwhile, Ruben's father, Alfonso
Ramos Sr., worked the cotton fields and
the railroads; he also played the fiddle
while his mother, Elvira Perez, played the
guitar at family gatherings.
At the end of World War II, Ruben's
uncles returned to take up the legacy.
Uncle Justin re-formed the band as Justin
Perez and His Ex-GIs. In a few years, they
had established themselves as topnotch,
big-band orchestra in the 1940s, complete
with sit-down horns, music stands, dark
suits and ties, and a sound consistent with
the times.
This was the beginning of the end
for any regular day-job for Ruben and his
five siblings. When Inez, Elijio, Alfonso,
Ruben, Joe and Roy came along, picking
cotton was the way of the world - help the
family, pay the bills - but the musical
legacy would not wait long. These kids
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had "talento,"
Ruben's sister Inez had joined the
band as singer in 1947. Then, in his early
teens, Ruben's older brother Alfonso
Ramos Jr. joined their uncle's group. In
the mid 1950s, the band then became the
Alfonso Ramos Orchestra. Ruben continued with the band on weekends, increasingly singing English cover R&B tunes,
even as he landed a "good job" with the
state insurance department. Now, all five
Ramos brothers - Alfonso, Elijio, Ruben,
Joe and Roy - were performing. As the
orchestra's drummer, Ruben performed
throughout the 1960s with Alfonso's band.
The band played a mix of tunes, from cha
chas and cumbias, to boleros and
rancheras. Ruben provided the vocals and
the push to many of the English songs the
band played.
In 1969, Ruben's brother Roy made
a move to spread the Ramos' family
legacy. In a short time, Ruben joined him
as the new band's front man. Brother
Alfonso's orchestra was at the top of its
game and Ruben was in a position to
maximize the talent available from the
Ramos brothers. He formed what would
become the "Next Level' of the family
legacy - the Mexican Revolution. But he
also faced a major crossroad in his career.
It was time to either quit music or go into
it full time. To do anything less would
mean being relegated to the minor leagues
forever. Fortunately for Ramos, and
perhaps the industry, he jumped in full
force and never looked back. The name
Mexican Revolution was picked, Ruben
explained in later interviews, because,
among other reasons, the '70s saw the
emergence of the Chicano and civil rights
movements.
During that period, the band played
the Chicano circuit that ran from Dallas-
Fort Worth to the Rio Grande Valley,
recording a number of albums on a series
of independents. By 1981, "Tejano" had
become the new term for the music and
Ruben changed the band name to the
Texas Revolution because he felt Tejanos
were getting an identity in Texas.
In 1985, Alfonso and Ruben
reunited for a series of albums that
included ÷øùú ûü ÷øùúý Again. In 1987,
Alfonso and Ruben were named best
vocal duo at the 1987 Tejano Music
Awards. By this time, Ramos had scored
with the regional hit "El Gato Negro"
(The Black Cat), which also became his
nickname.
In the '90s Ruben continued playing
with a live horn section, eschewing the
trend by many bands to substitute synthesizers and keyboards. "I'm a horns man"
explains Ruben. "There ain't nothing like
a wall of sound, real sound, coming at
you". This characterizes the sound of El
Gato: true horns, real drums with crashing
cymbals, accordion so real you can hear
the clicks of the buttons - all delivered by
the master musicians of the Texas Revolution. Ruben's performances are also
punctuated by sheer presentation. The
Tejano uniform of jeans and starched
shirts is cool, but it ain't El Gato's style.
"Ruben Ramos looks more like a senator
than a musician" wrote one reporter.
Ruben humbly states that people work
hard all week, then they spend their hardearned money to go hear a great concert.
"If they can spend their money to hear me,
then I can dress for them. I owe Tejano
fans that respect." says Ruben.
In January 1998, Ruben and the
Revolution were inducted into the
prestigious Pura Vida Hall of Fame. In
March 1998, Ruben was inducted into the
Tejano Music Awards Hall of Fame. On
awards night, Ruben insisted his band
perform live; all performances by other
artists were lip synched (the awards were
being video taped for TV broadcast - lip
synching cut down on mistakes). Awards
organizers agreed to have Ruben perform
live with his band, but they would have to
be the last award of the night. Ruben and
the Revolution performed - live - to a stillfull arena at 1:15 a.m. Later in 1998,
Ruben teamed with David Hidalgo and
Cesar Rosas (of Los Lobos), rocker Joe
Ely, country legend Freddy Fender,
accordion master Flaco Jimenez, and
country crooner Rick Trevino to form Los
Super Seven. Los Super Seven's selftitled CD earned them a Grammy award
for Best Mexican American Performance
at the 1999 Grammy Awards. In April of
1999, Ruben and the Revolution received
the Best Male Vocalist and Video of the
Year awards at the Tejano Music Awards.
Changing the band's name back to
The Mexican Revolution, Ruben Ramos
continues to spread the word about Tejano
music. Ruben released the CD Reloaded
and many more over the last ten years.
Accolades from the music industry
and the fans overwhelming indicate the
talent and style of this legendary artist has
thrived over the extensive multi-decade
career.
The cool and smooth sound of one
of the hottest horn sections in Texas, the
selection of songs, combined with
Ruben's distinct and sincere voice,
continues to be an incomparable legacy.