Barrio Rhythm: MEXICAN AMERICAN MUSIC IN LOS ANGELES (Music in American Life)

The hit movie La Bamba (based on the life of Richie Valens), the versatile singer Linda Ronstadt, and the popular rock group Los Lobos all have roots in the dynamic music of the Mexican-American community in East Los Angeles. With the recent “Eastside Renaissance” in the area, barrio music has taken on symbolic power throughout the Southwest, yet its story has remained undocumented and virtually untold. In Barrio Rhythm, Steven Loza brings this hidden history to life, demonstrating the music’s essential role in the cultural development of East Los Angeles and its influence on mainstream popular culture. Drawing from oral histories and other primary sources, as well as from appropriate representative songs, Loza provides a historical overview of the music from the nineteenth century to the present and offers in-depth profiles of nine Mexican-American artists, groups, and entrepreneurs in Southern California from the post-World War II era to the present. His interviews with many of today’s most influential barrio musicians, including members of Los Lobos, Eddie Cano, Lalo Guerrero, and Willie Herron, chronicle the cultural forces active in this complex urban community. “A giant step toward answering the question, ‘What is Chicano music?’... A milestone contribution to the fields of ethnomusicology, Chicano studies, folklore, anthropology, and Latin American music.” — Daniel Sheehy, ethnomusicologist and musician STEVEN Loza is an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Barrio rhythm Contents Acknowledgments Introduction PART I History CHAPTER 1 Society and Music in Mexican Los Angeles Independence from Spain U.S. Annexation Mexican Transition 1848-1900 Early Twentieth Century Los Angeles Growth, Industrialization, and the Early Radio and Recording Industries Repatriation 1931-34 Wartime Illustrations CHAPTER 2 Barrio Rhythm: Social Development since the Postwar Period The Postwar Years The Chicano Movement The 1980s CHAPTER 3 A Chronicle of Musical Life: Los Angeles, 1945-90 1945-50 The 1950s The Nightclub Circuit Eastward Ho The Recording Industry The Eastside Sound The New Wave Institutional and Media Development Conclusion Appendix: Jazz and Fusion Musicians Notes Illustrations PART II Ethnography CHAPTER 4 Profiles of the Artists: The War Veterans John Ovalle: Selling Records on Whittier Boulevard Andy Russell: Crooner from Boyle Heights Eddie Cano: Memories of a Pianist Lalo Guerrero: Musician, Satirist, and Legend Notes Illustrations CHAPTER 5 Profiles of the Artists: Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag Teresa Covarrubias: The Wolf and the Lamb Poncho Sánchez: Conguero Irma Rangel: Angel Warrior Los Illegals: Punk, Politics, and Latin Angst Los Lobos: Just Another Band from East L.A. Notes PART III Reflections CHAPTER 6 Change, Conflict, and Childhoods Enculturation The Formation of Style Intercultural Conflict CHAPTER 7 Reflections of a Homeboy Bibliography Discography Index A Note on the Author The hit movie La Bamba (based on the life of Richie Valens), the versatile singer Linda Ronstadt, and the popular rock group Los Lobos all have roots in the dynamic music of the Mexican American community in East Los Angeles. The "Eastside Renaissance" in the region gave barrio music a symbolic power throughout the Southwest, yet its story has remained undocumented and virtually untold. In Barrio Rhythm , Steven Loza brings this hidden history to life, demonstrating the music's essential role in the cultural development of East Los Angeles and its influence on mainstream popular culture. Drawing from oral histories and other primary sources, as well as from appropriate representative songs, Loza provides a historical overview of the music from the nineteenth century to the present and offers in-depth profiles of nine Mexican American artists, groups, and entrepreneurs in Southern California from the post-World War II era to the present. His interviews with many of today's most influential barrio musicians, including members of Los Lobos, chronicle the cultural forces active in this complex urban community. Society And Music In Mexican Los Angeles -- Barrio Rhythm : Social Development Since The Postwar Period : The Postwar Years ; The Chicano Movement ; The 1980s -- A Chronicle Of Musical Life : Los Angeles, 1945-90 -- Profiles Of The Artists : The War Veterans : John Ovalle ... Andy Russell ... Eddie Cano ... Lalo Guerrero -- Profiles Of The Artists : Papa's Got A Brand New Bag : Teresa Covarrubias ... Poncho Sánchez ... Irma Rangel ... Los Illegals ... Los Lobos -- Change, Conflict, And Childhoods -- Reflections Of A Homeboy. Steven Loza. Discography: P. [299]-301. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [287]-298) And Index.