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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Movie, The Alamo, Provides a Clue for Racial Harmony!



      I saw the movie The Alamo over the weekend and walked away with something I have always known. Half way through it, an extremely important message concerning racial unity was uttered by one of the actors, and many people will probably miss it.
      Promoters of the movie before it came out touted it as being more historically accurate than the former version, starring John Wayne, Richard Widmark and other legendary actors. This version, starring Billy Bob Thornton (as Davy Crockett) and Dennis Quaid (as Sam Houston), supposedly would include much fact that native Tejanos (Mexicans born in Texas) played a significant role in defending the Alamo, and contributed greatly to Texas becoming a republic and eventually becoming the 28th state in the Union on February 29, 1845. One of those heroes was Juan Seguin.
      Seguin was born in 1806 into a long-established Tejano family in San Antonio, Texas. History records little of Seguin’s early life, but he was a staunch critic of Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, the despot leader of Mexico who had a strangle hold on Texas in the 1830's. Santa Ana personally led the slaughter of a group of Texas patriots at a former mission turned mini fortress in San Antonio called the Alamo.               
     Seguin was a strong political ally of William Travis, the Lt. Colonel who valiantly died defending the Alamo while commandeering its volunteer and military forces. Seguin played an active role in the Texas revolution. He served as provisional mayor of San Antonio and led a band of fellow Tejanos against Santa Ana's army in 1835. He was also at the Alamo for the first part of the siege, and survived that massacre because he was sent to gather reinforcements. Later, Seguin and his Tejano Company fought at the battle of San Jacinto, helping to defeat Santa Ana's army.
      Seguin, however, would soon feel the sword of betrayal by the aftermath of the Texas Revolution. Many cities in Texas moved to expel all of their Tejano residents and, even in his hometown of San Antonio, many anglos seriously favored such a move. But his most devastating pain came when Seguin helped defeat a Mexican expedition against San Antonio in 1842. In an effort to turn anglo Texans against him, Seguin was publicly accused by some that he was more loyal to Mexico than Texas. Although Seguin was the mayor of San Antonio at the time, Anglos who had been his former comrades suddenly turned on him. They drove him from the city where he had been born and forced him to flee to Mexico. Seguin's dream (that the Texas revolution would mean freedom for all Texans) was shattered.
     Seguin was forced to seek shelter in Mexico amongst those whom he had fought against while seeking Texas’ independence. He became separated from his homeland, parents, family, relatives and friends. The Mexican government didn’t welcome Seguin with open arms. Upon his arrival in Nuevo Laredo in 1842, Mexican authorities arrested him and told him to choose between serving in the Mexican army or face imprisonment. He reluctantly chose to join the army, and fought in the Mexican-American war against the United States. After the war Seguin received permission to return to Texas.                  
     However, in 1867 Seguin was the victim of further racial harassment that forced him back to Mexico. He died in Nuevo Laredo in 1890, right across the Rio Grande from the land for whose independence he had fought so bravely for. The movie didn’t reveal this aspect of the heroism and dilemma experienced by many patriotic (American) Tejanos.
      Sadly, this untold account of one of the most valiant Tejanos engaged in the Alamo serves as a grim reminder to many Americans of Mexican descent. Many find themselves experiencing the same agony. Thousand upon thousands of Mexican Americans (and other Latinos) have sacrificed their lives for America’s freedom on foreign land. During the Second World War, Hispanics received more Congressional Medals of Honor than any other ethnic group. A close look at today’s news reports reveals that many Latinos (some who weren’t even born in the United States), are still placing their lives in Harm’s Way to defend America. Yet, while most Latinos are proud, hard-working and taxpaying Americans, many still face derisiveness to one degree or the other. Sadly, they are also castigated by Mexican nationals who still call Mexican Americans pochos, a Spanish word which translated means sick or impure. Like Seguin, many Mexican Americans still find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
      However, the movie did contain a line delivered by Billy Bob Thornton, which rang ever so loudly in my mind and heart, as a cure for racial unity. As the story unfolded, Santa Ana’s large army was encamped about a half a mile across from the Alamo. The Mexican soldiers pointed their giant cannons towards the Alamo, and continuously fired its thunder balls to chip away at their resolve. Each time before they launched their immense fire power at the hapless few defending the small mission turned into a symbolic fortress, the Mexican army’s drum and bugle corps preceded the cannon volleys by playing a gruesome sounding tune to psychologically instill terror in the hearts of the volunteers. Right before one of those attacks, Billy Bob Thornton (as Crockett) stood up and said, “I know what’s missing.”
      He quickly got up to one of the Alamo’s towers and began playing a patriotic tune on his violin. As the violin sounds wafted loudly towards the Mexican encampment, both adversaries stood in stunned silence as the Mexican bugles’ and drums’ blaring cacophony melded with Crockett’s music to form a melodious and quieting sonata.
    After a few moments, the volunteers manning the Alamo nervously waited for the cannons to start pounding them again, but nothing happened. The next scene shows Billy Bob Thornton musing at what had just happened, and he uttered probably the most profound line in the entire movie, one that can bode well for racial unity in this country:
      “It’s amazing what a little bit of harmony can accomplish!”

-30-

[Joe Ortiz has the distinction of being the first Mexican American in US history to host an English-language talk show on a commercial radio station. He currently lives in Redlands, California and is the author of a two newly published books, The End Times Passover and Why Christians Will Suffer Great Tribulation (Author House). For more information, click Joe Ortiz Web Sites & Blogs

[Originally posted on Sunday, April 25, 2010 on another blog]

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Legendary Twice Super Bowl Winning Coach, Tom Flores, finally has been added to the NFL Hall of Fame "Finalists" list! We Need Your Help!

The following article was posted by Joe Ortiz on Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 12:48 AM, after legendary Latino football player and twice "Super Bowl" winning coach was left off the ballot to be inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame. Since then, Tom made the list of the "finalists" for the 2013 National Football League's Hall of Fame.

We are asking for your help to contact the voters (see email addresses after the article) to encourage them to vote for Tom. We are re-posting this article because its message still holds true today.

He has FOUR Super Bowl Championship rings; one as a player, one as an assistant coach (under John Madden) and twice as head coach for the World Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders.

But, that's not enough to convince the voters to consider inducting the first Mexican American quarterback and head coach in pro football, as well as the first General Manager of a professional football team (with the Seattle Seahawks), among many other accomplishments to be so honored.

Tom Flores has distinguished himself in the pro-football community as few have (much less the fact he is a Latino) in the last 51 years, and still going strong as a color commentator for the Oakland Raiders Radio Network. He is already a member of the California Sports Hall of Fame and the old American Football (and holds several records as a quarterback in that fledgling) league that reached such profound football greatness it had to be considered legitimate enough in the course of its play that it caused having to merge with the established league. Had there been no merger football fans would not be enjoying the most significant sporting event in world history, the Super Bowl. How many current inductees in the NFL HOF can present a greater resume?

Flores was recently honored by the National Council of La Raza with the coveted "Roberto Clemente Award for Sports Excellence" in Washington, D.C. That gesture was not based on a public relations ploy by the Mexican American community. It is aware (and it recognized) one individual from within its community that has not only distinguished himself above and beyond the norm, but has surpassed many of the accomplishments from other members of the predominate community with a commitment to excellence rarely experienced.

If nothing else (and we all know there is a certain amount of politics that plays into the minds of the voters) the owners could have made note to the voters that based on the changing demographics, electing a Latino to the Hall of Fame would have been a stroke of public relations genius, which would obviously increase attendance. Obviously, it would have created a more appreciated atmosphere towards a consumer that will soon be the largest paying customer in the sports community.

Look out NFL, the game of soccer (which is favored by Latinos more than pro football) is rearing its ugly head.
Oh well!

[Click this link to see Tom Flores' acceptance speech. It will make you proud to be an American] 

Also click the following link to see videos of Tom's friends (Jim Plunkett, Carlos Santana, Greg Papa and others) who share why Tom should be inducted:

The Tom Flores Legacy Page on Facebook


Below are the email addresses of the sports writers and others who cast a vote for future inductees. Please send them all an email in support of Tom Flores, or at least to the voter nearest you.

Thank You!

Joe Ortiz, President

The Official Tom Flores Fan Club



NFL Hall o Fame Voter’s Email List

Arizona - David Casstevens, Arizona Republic
Atlanta - Furman Bisher, The Atlanta Journal
Baltimore - John Steadman, The Baltimore Sun
501 N. Calvert St. Baltimore, MD 21278
Buffalo - Larry Felser, Buffalo News
1-800-777-8610 editorial switchboard
Carolina - Charles Chandler, Charlotte Observer
Chicago - Don Pierson, Chicago Tribune**
Cincinnati - Geoff Hobson, Cincinnati Enquirer
Dallas - Frank Luksa, Dallas Morning News
Denver - Woodrow Paige, Denver Post
Detroit - Jerry Green, The Detroit News**
Green Bay - Mike Bauman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
333 W. State St.  P.O. Box 371, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0371
Indianapolis - John Bansch, Indianapolis Star
Jacksonville - Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV, Jacksonville
Kansas City - Bob Gretz, KCFX Overland Park, KS
Miami - Edwin Pope, Miami Herald
Minnesota - Sid Hartman, The Minneapolis Star Tribune
425 Portland Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55488

New England - Will Macedon, Boston Globe, NBC Sports
New Orleans - Pete Finney, Times-Picayune**
New York (Giants) - Vinny DiTrani, Bergen Record
New York (Jets) - Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated
1271 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Or you may fax him at 212-522-4543.
Oakland - Frank Cooney, Fox Sports**
Philadelphia - Mike Rathet, Philadelphia Daily News
Pittsburgh - Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Voice Mail - 1-412-263-3878
St. Louis - Bob Oates, Los Angeles Times**
San Diego - Jerry Magee, San Diego Union Tribune
San Francisco - Ira Miller, San Francisco Chronicle
Seattle -  John Clayton, ESPN/ESPN Magazine
Tampa Bay - Tom McEwen, Tampa Tribune
Tennessee - John McClain, Houston Chronicle**
Washington - Len Shapiro, Washington Post
leave voice mail is best - (202) 334-5002
PFWA - Steve Schoenfeld, Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette
At Large - Jarrett Bell, USA Today**
At Large - Dave Goldberg, Associated Press**
At Large - Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
At Large - Peter King, Sports Illustrated
1271 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Or you may fax him at 212-522-4543.
At Large - Mike Wilbon, Washington Post


We still need 8 good contact email addresses or phone numbers to call to complete the list. If it's marked with **,we need it.
We are in the process of completing this list. We need your help! We do not have every voters contact information. If you can assist, we can surely use your help! Thank You! We need an email address to them or where they work, a number to call and/or an address to mail them letter. Please send it directly to me at Joe.Ortiz9299@Gmail.com.

A BIG "THANK YOU!"

Tom Flores has earned 4 Super Bowl Championship rings
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

An Open Message to Lamar Smith, Texas Congressman ~


Man’s Capricious Laws Should Not Supersede God’s Laws. God Requires a Price from Those Who Enact Them!

     The following 'open letter' to Texas Congressmen Lamar Smith is in response to his efforts to enact H.R. 2885, the most powerful bill ever to be considered in Congressional Committee, ostensibly designed to turn off what Smith believes is a job magnet for illegal immigration and ostensibly to protect jobs for the American worker. Let's call it what it really is, a hate bill designed to appease the out-of-control xenophobia that pervades the American spirit!
     You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselvesand for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 in whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign LORD (Ezekiel 47:21)!
     We have been sharing the above group of scriptures with friends, neighbors and relatives (actually, with the entire general public) through this blog, making the case that government bodies (local, statewide and national) cannot supersede God's laws. Those folks who are vehemently and adamantly opposed to immigrants in this country, always use (as their last resort and feeling it's) the most powerful argument in their political arsenal, that immigrants who cross the border to this country are law-breakers, therefore they need to be punished.
     If anyone presents logical or common sensical arguments that proposing new laws such as H.R. 2885 and SB1070 that was enacted by the government of Arizona does not address the concerns they have about American unemployment, terrorist fears or drug trafficking, (such as Doris Meisner's article that appeared in the Washington Post on May 5, 2010, which more than sufficiently argued that immigration problems are more myth than fact), proponents of the law always come back and say, "Regardless, they are breaking the law."   

     Even when Meisner pointed out that 40% of the alleged "illegal immigrants" came through with proper credentials and visas, but over-stayed their time limits, their retort is, "They are now illegal even though they crossed over with proper documents, they are still law-breakers."         
       Yet, we did not hear any complaints about immigrants taking jobs away from Americans when they were here with legal documentation! Why? Because immigrants for the most part were holding jobs most Americans would ever dream of doing. Has anyone seen a non-brown person picking grapes lately? Or any complaints that farmers are discriminating against non-brown people seeking those back-breaking, heat exhausting to near death jobs? 
     When we point out that there is a greater principle to this immigration saga, they poo poo the scripture we send them (we have posted over 190 Bible verses on my other blog last year) that clearly state that God has a special place in His heart for the poor and the alien, and He will punish those who mistreat these people.          
     Yet, they come back stating that God does not favor law-breakers, therefore "Illegal Immigrants" must be arrested and pay for their crimes (of crossing the border without documentation to find work to feed their family)."
     Well, folks, what can we say? If they don't believe what God most clearly states through His spoken word, maybe they will believe someone else. As we were pondering this matter, we see printed in today's Internet an article that more eloquently states our case; one that reminded us of a statement Jesus made when He delivered a parable concerning Lazarus and Rich Man to His disciples.
     As the parable went, Lazarus was a beggar who died and the angels carried Him to Abraham's house (heaven) and when the rich man died he was sent to hell. The rich man is seen pleading for mercy, asking that at least Abraham will send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue, because he is in agony in this fire.'
     "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' 27" He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29" Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'31" He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "(Luke 16:25-31)
     The point in the parable by Jesus is that people basically are very hard headed when it comes to things of God. Most don't believe in authorities (like Moses and the Prophets) and many are so thick-headed, they won't believe even Jesus who rose from the dead.
     But, not Christians! Right? 

     They believe in Jesus' resurrection, which (for the most part they claim) guarantees their right to spend eternity with Christ when He returns to rule and reign on earth forever!
     Unfortunately, that belief seems to be the only thing they cling to and many of them also feel that they don't have to obey God's laws anymore because they now have salvation, by grace. Not only individual Christians believe this way, but many governments, whether it be companies, churches and all (local, state and federal) governing entities, believe thus because they possess the power to enact laws to suit their own purposes, based on the "cash-heavy" contributors who assured their elections. They stir up the emotions of the public by using their media manipulators (from both the left and the right sides) to eventually do their bidding, and then they claim the people (their constituents) demanded these new laws!
     These politicians and their contributors (largely major corporations and very wealthy donors, who control most media) pretty much dictate how laws are enacted in the US, in order for them to benefit their compatriots' pocketbooks. And, many times those laws they enact actually negate the proverbial laws established by the same person who gave and clearly set forth their duties of governance. Hallelujah! Instead of governing the body as God intended, they rule the way they want to, feeling they now know better than God!
      Well, they don't believe Moses, nor the Prophets, and most certainly do not believe nor obey (as Jesus stated in the parable) someone who rose from thedead!
     OK! OK! Let's give this proclamation effort one more human try.    

     The writer of the following article makes some powerful points in regards to what the governing bodies' responsibilities are all about, and one thing they most definitely should not do, is to supersede God's immutable laws.


Let's Bring Down Political Gods!
By Gary DeMar | Published: May 7, 2010

     Rep. André Carson, an elected official from Indiana’s 7th District, believes that people who are involved in calling this present civil government (both Democrats and Republicans) to account are similar to Islamic terrorists. Here’s an exchange between Washington Times reporter Kerry Pickett and Carson:
     KERRY PICKET: Do you think the people outside are generally dangerous or no?
     REP. CARSON: Oh absolutely. I worked in homeland security. I’m from intelligence, and I’ll tell you, one of the largest threats to our internal security…. I mean terrorism has an Islamic face, but it really comes from racial supremacist groups. . . . It’s the kind of thing we keep a threat assessment on record [for].

     PICKET: From groups like this?
     REP. CARSON: Oh absolutely.
     Does Carson offer any evidence of terrorist acts? No. He doesn’t have to since he believes that to question what this (his) government is doing is by definition a terrorist act. Criticism and the warning of removing someone from office through the electoral process are terrorist threats for the simple reason that government has become a god, and as such, “No other god can be put before it.” To criticize god, is to blaspheme and commit treason.
     Rep. Carson needs a lesson in civil government from God’s perspective. God established civil government to be an avenger who brings wrathupon those who practice evil. The civil government's power to use the sword is legitimate in certain limited cases. The Bible has mandated that the power of the sword is to keep the peace, to protect those who do what is right. Civil rulers are said to be “ministers of God” similar to the way pastors are “ministers of God.” They are God’s “deacons” in their designated governments, one ecclesiastical and the other civil.
     Not all rulers live up to the honorable title of “minister.” Paul is speaking of the ideal. Not everyone who rules is ministering in the biblical sense: “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock ... I know that after my departuresavage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:28–30).
     What’s true in the church is equally true in civil government. Not every ruler who seizes power or who is elected to office will minister in a just way (e.g., Pontius Pilate, Herod, Hitler, etc.). Paul is describing what a ruler’s proper function is. The apostle is not making a moral judgment about any particular ruler or political policy. Rather, his words describe what civil governments ought to be and ought to do. Every ruler should seek to minister as Christ ministered.

     Jesus called Herod “that fox” (Luke 13:32). Jesus was not calling the legitimacy of civil government into question. He was making a value judgment about the government of Herod. This shows that it is biblically proper to criticize a ruler. Of course, our own Constitution gives us that right in that we can petition the government for a “redress of grievances” (First Amendment) and vote anyone out of office for any reason.
     The typical ruler of Jesus’ day was a tyrant. “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them” (Luke 22:25). The distinguishing characteristic of true leadership is that of a servant. The ministry of the civil magistrate does not exist to serve its own end; it’s not a god. The true minister (servant) exists to serve others, but never apart from the laws of God. This means that the citizenry should not appeal to the magistrate to govern outside his designated ministerial duties.
     The rulers in the realm of civil government must rule according to God’s law, the standard of good and evil. No government has the freedom to rule by some arbitrary man-centered standard of good and evil or the “will of the people.” The civil magistrate is a true minister when it operates according to biblical guidelines.
     The additional duties of civil governments are the well ordering of society and the maintaining of peace so that Christians are free to worship God, unhindered by forces hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The State has the duty to preserve law and order so that the Church is free to spread the gospel of peace. The civil government must be made to realize that there is no real peace without the presence of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
     This climate of peace can only be accomplished by administering justice and righteousness to everyone. Justice and righteousness are defined in terms of God’s law. Civil rulers are commissioned to represent God as the judge. They act in such a capacity when they punish those who do evil (i.e., break God’s laws), as well as publicly commend those who do good (Romans 13:3–4). 


 ~
    Thanks Gary DeMar! They laugh when we try to point this fact to them. Hopefully, your eloquent article will resonate. As we stated above, they no longer listen to the words of Moses nor of the Prophets, nor of the one person who sacrificed so much just to give His creation the opportunity to live with Him forever!

For more information about this blog and Joe Ortiz' two newly published books, The End Times Passover and Why Christians Will Suffer Great Tribulation (Author House), please click here Joe Ortiz


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Rare Tape of a Radio Show on the Evolution of Chicano Rock Music Found!

The tape contains music and interviews with Chicano rock pioneers TIERRA, YAQUI, Mark Guerrero and Chicano rock music producer, Art Brambila, which aired 40 years ago on KLOS-FM in Los Angeles, CA.
     Memories, precious memories!
     There isn’t a Chicano alive today who doesn’t recognize the title of the 1980 hit record made famous by the legendary East Los Angeles-based Chicano rock group, TIERRA!
     Little did most Chicano rock music devotees and aficionados know that TIERRA actually recorded an album almost ten years before its giant “Memories” hit that, which, for the most part, contained and important message about the Chicano culture, with original music that has become the standard sound that epitomizes the indeginous East Los Angeles music style, which combines a unique blend of rock, soul, R & B, salsa and Latin Jazz.
     Well, lo and behold, a rare radio show that showcased TIERRA’s music along with other pioneers of that unique musical sound, has been discovered and it includes an interview and the music of the person who found the tape among others loaned to him by friend and former manager, Chicano music producer, Art Brambila.
     “I was simply going through some old reel to reel tapes in an old box that Art loaned me a couple of years ago, looking for material to add to my Chicano music history web site, “ said Mark Guererro, a veteran singer-songwriter who hosts a web site that probably contains more information about Chicano music artists than anyone else in the world.  
     "When I started playing this one tape, I couldn't believe what I was hearing,"Guerrero said.    
     The tape that Guerrero found contained a recording of a show on KLOS-FM radio station in Los Angeles where he was interviewed in 1972 by Joe Ortiz, Chicano talk show host pioneer, along with members of Chicano Rock band legends TIERRA and YAQUI and their manager, Art Brambila.
     “Here I sat, stunned, listening to my song I'm Brown and being interviewed on a radio show that was broadcast 40 years ago,” said Guerrero.
     After listening to the entire show, Guerrero quickly got on the phone and called Ortiz, a close friend since they met back in 1972 when he appeared on Ortiz’ television show on Channel 2, The Siesta is Over, a month before the radio interview. Guerrero also quickly called Art Brambila, who was the president of Brown Bag Productions, who produced his song as well as the first albums for TIERRA and YAQUI forty years ago. Guerrero told both Brambila and Ortiz that he would email them a copy of the show as soon as he was finished dubbing the tape into MP3 format.
     “I have many tapes of radio interviews I conducted on my shows in the mid 80’s to the 90’s, said Ortiz, “but nothing going back to the days when I first began working as a talk show host in 1971 at KABC-AM, and then the following year at its sister station, KLOS-FM. This interview that Mark discovered is like finding a golden nugget in the penny jar of Chicano rock music history.”
     Ortiz added that the few Chicano broadcasters they had back in the days before digital video and audio were too focused on taking advantage of the few media venues available to them to think about recording the historical relevance those interviews represented in the late 60’s and early 70’s. “But, obviously someone recorded that show unbeknownst to me and the guests on the show.”
     “After listening to the MP3 Mark sent me, I called him and Art and told them that they may not realize it, but that show is probably the only interview in existence where these visionary musicians were presenting the American audience with the most intelligent and profound expression of what has become an indigenous musical genre that has touched the lives of most Latinos throughout the world. “
(Mark Guerrero and Art Brambila)

     Most certainly, Brambila has always had a dream and a vision about the unique sounds he grew up with on Clover Street in the Lincoln Heights area of East Los Angeles, the same community where his nephews Rudy and Steve Salas, the founders of TIERRA, were raised, along with Eddie Serrano of YAQUI. 

(Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers of America,
listens to songwriter Art Brambila’s lyrics of the song he wrote for
the organization called Manana is Now, circa 1976)

     “I have always known that we (Chicanos) had great talent in all areas, especially in the music field, “said Brambila, who later in his career launched a television show in the late 70’s called The Mean Salsa Machine, the first bi-lingual major market TV show on an English Speaking station, Channel 9, in Los Angeles. Brambila also excelled as a songwriter himself with a tune he penned, Mañana Is Now , for the album Si Se Puede, the 1976 charity album debut of Los Lobos, of which the proceeds from the album went towards the United Farm Workers of America.
(Original cover of TIERRA’s first album, autographed for Joe Ortiz
by the original members, which he still has in his possession)

     “When I first started managing these gifted musicians, I knew they had a unique and marketable sound that would revolutionize the recording industry,” said Brambila, who had much experience in the marketing division at Capitol Records, but little technical in studio experience, but I used that knowledge to promote these talented guys,” added Brambila. His efforts resulted in Mark Guerrero, TIERRA and YAQUI signing a contract with major labels Capitol Records, 20th Century and Playboy, respectively.
     Although Brambila’s vision was being fulfilled during those early and trying times, he knew this evolution from being mere Chicano music performers would one day not only touch the hearts of Chicano audiences throughout the southwest, but the heartfelt message about Chicanos and their culture would soon provide the predominate community with crucial and insightful messages they needed to hear.
     “When I first heard about Joe’s radio show, we contacted his producer, Luis Torres, and he booked my guys (TIERRA, YAQUI and Mark Guerrero) right away, said Brambila.”
Joe Ortiz (center) with the founders of TIERRA, the Salas Brothers (Steve on the left and Rudy far right)

     Ortiz, the first Mexican American to conduct a radio show on an English-language commercial radio station, was known best for promoting enterprising Latinos, groups and organizations on his shows.
     “When Joe told us no one had ever discussed nor had heard the history behind this unique emerging Chicano rock sound on American airwaves, little did we realize that the predominately white KLOS-FM audience, was being introduced to the Eastside Sound for the very first time,” added Brambila.
     “Mark, Art, Eddie, Steve and all the guys poured out their heart and soul that evening, providing our listeners with information they had never heard before,” said Ortiz. “The intelligent and easy to understand manner in which they conveyed the cultural nuances of Chicano rock music was like listening to music professors giving a lecture to their students at a major university.”
     Ortiz said those who listen to the tape will be moved by the phone-in callers and their intelligent questions, KLOS audience members who genuinely were captivated by the sound and wanted to know more about the music’s history and inspiration.
     While the birth of Chicano music goes back to the early 20th century, it began a unique and evolutionary transition in the late sixties, spurned by the Chicano Civil Rights movement. Besides the traditional I love you baby tunes that many Chicano musicians were playing in the late fifties and early sixties, this new and emerging Chicano rock music contained and was delivering messages in a Dylanesque motif about the lives, hopes and aspirations of Mexican Americans in the greater Los Angeles area.
(Mark Guerrero and his brother Dan chat with Bill Clinton after the President bestowed the National Medal of Arts to their father, Chicano music icon, Lalo Guerrero, at the White House)

     “Mark Guerrero’s involvement with Chicano music began right before that era, and much of his heart and soul for this genre is historical and runs deep,” said Ortiz. “It’s obvious he was influenced to a great degree by his father, Lalo Guerrero, who is recognized as the Father of Chicano music.”
     Yet, Mark developed his own unique style, which is still evolving; but he does credit Chicano Study classes at Cal State Los Angeles and his father for instilling in him unique pride in his Chicano heritage.   
     Prior to his death on March 17, 2005, Lalo Guerrero, the iconic Chicano music hero was presented the National Medal of Arts by then President Bill Clinton for a lifetime of achievements, the only Chicano to receive our nation’s highest arts award.
(Mark Guerrero singing I’m Brown


     The newly found Lost KLOS Interview with Mark Guerrero and Latino Legends starts off with Mark’s recording of I'm Brown, of which the lyrics bespeaks his passion for music, the emerging Chicano culture of that era, and its demand for respect.
(Yaqui members, left to right, Rudy Regalado, Larry Cronen, Ray Rodriguez, Eddie Serrano and Ronnie Reyes. Squatting left to right,George Ochoa and Art Sanchez)
     The tape also features YAQUI lead singer George Ochoa’s rendition of “Brown Baby” which also cries out the heart and soul of a Chicano culture indigenous to the East Los Angeles Mexican American community.  One of the group’s original tunes and one of its biggest hits (before Barack Obama capitalized on the slogan) was It's Time For a Change.
     "It's Time for a Change (Tiempo Para Un Cambio)," which shows all three artists on Brown Bag Productions, were also writing and recording socially relevant music,” said Guerrero.  “That song appeared on a compilation in the 90s called "Ay Califas- Raza Rock" (1998) and has also been recorded by Tierra on their latest CD.”
     Eddie Serrano (since passed away) left YAQUI and later became the lead singer for another famous Chicano rock group, Cannibal and the Headhunters, which gained international acclaim for their mega hit, Land of a 1000 Dances.
     The tape, which did not have the traditional introduction that normally opened Ortiz’ radio shows, also does not have a closing segment. Mark told Joe the tape was so old that parts of it were practically glued together and he didn’t want to chance destroying it by pulling it apart. Nevertheless, the tape ends with TIERRA's  original tune called Barrio Suite, a seven and a half minute musical anthology that virtually encapsulates the Chicano cultural ethos.
 
(Steve Salas being interview by Joe Ortiz on KLOS-FM)
     “To me, personally, Barrio Suite and I'm Brown are probably the two most profound Chicano tunes ever written,” said Brambila.    
     “Mark’s message in I'm Brown speaks of the deep-seeded feeling most Chicanos have about their community. Rudy and Steve Salas and the members of TIERRA at that time produced in Barrio Suite a seven and a half minute musical train that takes the listener on a  musical Mexican American culture journey through the barrios of East Los Angeles.”
TIERRA
     “These talented musicians are still going strong, after the forty intervening years, from when that unique interview show aired,” said Ortiz. “TIERRA and Mark are still the poet laureates of the Chicano experience they were back then, and very few if any new Chicano musicians, will ever duplicate their historical work.”
(Left to right, Mark Guerrero and Art Brambila, and Joe Ortiz in the background, meet at Las Fuentes Restaurant in Redlands, CA to discuss what to do with the tape) 
     Having found this rare tape, the three discussed the historical and educational significance of the show and what they wanted to do with it. They all agreed the tape represents a significant piece of Chicano rock history and that they should at least post it on their respective web sites for fans to download and hear the tape, and also send it out to as many Chicano media and web sites they could find.
     “At the least, for thousands of Chicano rock music fans who listen to this rare interview tape, it seems to me it will definitely bring back many precious memories!”
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The 50 minute  KLOS-FM interview tape will also be available for those who want to hear or download the show on the Mark Guerrero web site, which also contains the most comprehensive information on the Internet about Chicano music, its birth and evolution throughout the last 50 years.