H omenaje
a
y las divas de la cancion Mexicana
Las divas de la canción Mexicana
Eva Garza
p. 4-7
Rosita Fernández
p. 8-9
beatriz LlamAs
p. 10-11
lydia mendoza
p. 12-13
blanca rosa chelo silva
p. 16-17
perla tapatía rita vidaurri
p. 14-15
p. 18-19 p. 20-21
La Época de Oro
Homenaje a Eva Garza
y las divas de la canción Mexicana
Saturday & Sunday, February 23-24, 2013 @ Esperanza Peace & Justice Center,
922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212
Eva Garza
E
n Aquellos Tiempos . . . a cultural program of the Esperanza Peace
& Justice Center, tells the story of the Westside through the eyes of its community members. We have collected photos and stories of the Westside from the 1920s through the 1950s to include in an outdoor photo exhibit, seeking to present the real story of a marginalized area and people. During the excavation process, we have realized the remarkable people that the Westside has been home to. In the process of highlighting some of the early icons of the Westside such as Emma Tenayuca and Lydia Mendoza, we uncovered a treasure trove of musical artists. In 2001, as the Esperanza celebrated Lydia Mendoza’s 85th birthday at the Plaza del Zacate, an elder from the audience stepped forward requesting that she be allowed to sing a song to her comadre in song, Lydia Mendoza. Rita Vidaurri (La Calandria) did not stop singing after that event leading us, instead, to other elders connected to the world of music, teatro and performance. One of these elders was the sister of Eva Garza, who was a virtual unknown star of stage, screen and radio who we have gradually come to know through the remarkable memory of Tina Garza Moore. In 2006, Lydia was honored for her 90th birthday with a full range of performers at Plaza Guadalupe that included Rita and another elder, Beatriz Llamas (La Paloma del Norte). Eventually, they introduced us to Blanca Rodríguez (Blanca Rosa) and Janet Cortez (Perla Tapatía). The four elders in their 70s and 80s, each with their own rich history, now form Las Tesoros de San Antonio and continue to perform. Eva Garza, cited by Blanca and Rita as a mentor and contemporary who grew up with them in the same neighborhood of the Westside, has her own remarkable history. But Eva, who died in her 40s, did not have a chance to tell her own story until now. With Tina Garza Moore as her voice, Eva lives to tell her story in this remarkable event, Eva Garza y las divas de la canción Mexicana. With many more stories and lives to celebrate, it is our hope that the En Aquellos Tiempos program of the Westside will continue to honor many more gente of the Westside. We always welcome new participants to the project. Those interested in sharing photos or stories can join us at the Casa de Cuentos (816. S Colorado, near the corner of S. Colorado and Guadalupe). Call us at (210) 228-0201.
Eva Garza Eva Garza died on November 1, 1966. This literary ofrenda by Deborah R. Vargas published in La Voz de Esperanza in November 2006 observes the passing of “una hija del Westside de San Antonio.”
On one research trip to Mexico City, I sat at the Cineteca Nacional, waiting for the archived film Bolero Inmortal (1958) to begin. Playing the character “Lucha Medina” Eva Garza came to life. I was able to screen several movies there that Eva appeared in. I recalled Rita Vidaurri’s profound words during my interview with her, “Eva Garza, she and I, were International Tejanas.” Eva Garza was born May 11, 1917, on Montezuma St. on the Westside of San Antonio. The third oldest of 7 children, she graduated from Lanier High School in 1934. Influenced by the musical talents of her mother and grandmother, her sister, Tina, recalled that one of the first women Eva saw perform was Rosita Fernández, singing with her sister Berta as “Las Dinámicas Estrellas.” Eva’s entrance into public performance occurred in singing contests popular in the 1930s and 1940s. She was 16 when she won a second place prize of $500 for her rendition of “I’m in the Mood for Love,” at the Texas Theatre. Soon after, Eva would appear on 4
“La Hora Anáhuac,” a popular radio program. Although in high school, Eva appeared on radio and popular venues like El Teatro Naciónal, so her parents became quite protective. What helped was that their father worked as a barber nearby where Eva often performed. Eva’s first recording sessions were held at the Texas Hotel for the Bluebird Records label. Rhumbas, sons, and boleros such as “La Jaibera” and “Calientito” were among her first songs recorded in 1936. Her recordings would eventually include well-known composers such as Luis Alcaraz and Chucho Monge. Eva’s most significant career transition came when she auditioned at the local Majestic Theatre for the Sally Rand Dance Revue in 1937. Rand assured Eva’s parents that the dancers would be chaperoned. Eva traveled with the revue for 6 months touring from Texas to Florida and north into Canada. Joining the dance revue changed Eva’s life forever. After touring with Sally Rand, Eva gained popularity, playing some of the most famous nightspots along the Southwest and West Coast, including the Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles. On one of these tours she met Felipe Top: Eva’s Sally Rand publicity photo, 1937. Bottom: Eva Garza (at left) “El Charro” Gil (of Charro Gil y with Sally Rand Dance Revue, 1937. Sus Corporales) at a radio show in Juárez, Mexico. Charro, with brother Alfredo Gil, would later form Trío Los Panchos. Charro and Eva married in 1939 and settled in New York where she recorded for Columbia Records and sang for CBS radio shows, 5
including the “Sweetheart of the Americas” programs that were aired for the U.S. troops during World War II. During the 1940s, Eva’s career was solidified with tours in Latin American cities, including “The Tropicana in Cuba; she also went to São Paulo, Brazil; Quito, Ecuador; Bogotá, Columbia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Nicaragua; and in Perú, too, she was very famous,” shared Tina. By the time Eva moved to Mexico City in 1949, she had gained an international reputation as a singer and thus some of the biggest line-ups on XEW radio in Mexico City, including the likes of Pedro Infante and Pedro Vargas. In 1953, Eva and Charro Gil divorced. Her sister, Tina, filled in as manager and, when Eva traveled, as caregiver for Rosemary and Felipe. This gave Tina a different perspective on how big a star Eva was: “I lived with her on and off for about 12 years in Mexico City; she was the number one leading star in the early 1950s.” Among Eva’s gold records were “Celosa,” “Sabor de Engaño,” “Sin Motivo,” “Frío en el Alma,” and “La Última Noche.” Eva appeared in over 20 Mexican motion pictures during the late 1940s and 1950s. She appeared with popular singers/musicians such as Trío Los Panchos, Toña La Negra, Luis Alcaraz, 6
José Alfredo Jiménez, Pedro Vargas and Agustín Lara. Some of these films include: Si fuera una cualquiera (1949); Amor vendido (1950); Arrabalera (1950); Cárcel de mujeres (1951) starring Katy Jurado; Mujeres sin mañana (1951); Paco el elegante (1951); and Acapulco (1951) directed by Emilio Fernández. Eva also appeared in Mujeres que trabajan (1952) and Pistolas de oro (1957). In 2005, a compilation of songs by Eva Garza was released through Sony Music Entertainment Mexico as part of a series, “Las Estrellas de La Hora Azul,” dedicated to the XEW radio program “La Hora Azul” made famous by Agustín Lara. Eva Garza passed away much too soon, at the age of 49. Having just returned from a singing engagement in Argentina, Eva Garza passed away in Tucson, Arizona, on November 1, 1966, from complications due to her heart having acquired rheumatic fever as a child. Eva Garza is buried in El Panteón Jardín in Mexico, D.F., with Mexico’s legendary actors and singers. Although laid to rest in Mexico City, marking her enormous musical contributions and achievements as well as the place she made “home,” Eva Garza’s spirit and musical legacy also remain in the heart of the Westside. Bio: Deborah R. Vargas, a graduate of Fox Tech High School, was born and raised on the Westside of San Antonio. She completed undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin and received her doctorate in Sociology from University of California, Santa Cruz. Currently an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Irvine, she has recently published Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda (University of Minnesota Press), focusing on Mexican origin women singers from Eva Garza to Selena.
Eva was also known as La Cancionera de la frontera.
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Rosita Fernández
(1918-2006)
San Antonio’s “First Lady of Song”—a title bestowed by Lady Bird Johnson—Rosita Fernández, was a legendary singer and public personality closely associated with San Antonio, where she grew up and where her talents flourished. Born in Monterrey, Mexico, in 1918, Rosita migrated to Texas with her family and settled in San Antonio when she was nine years old. As a young lady circa late 1920s, Rosita was the lead singer in the “Trío San Miguel,” composed of three uncles who played guitars. The family group toured throughout South Texas performing in “carpas” (tent theaters) that featured a Mexican movie together with a variety show. In 1932, at the age of fourteen, Rosita won a talent contest sponsored by Gebhart Chili and began singing in 30-minute radio shows for two dollars per week. Fernández was among the first Mexican American singers to appear on radio and recordings with local Tejano labels like Decca, Blue-Bird and RCA Victor. Many of her earliest recordings were with her sister Berta, billed as “Las Hermanas Fernández” or “Las Dinámicas Estrellitas.” In her reminiscences, Rosita recalls San Antonio in the 1930s and ’40s as “Un México Chiquito,” a place where “lo mexicano” was embedded in language, customs and way of life. Local movie houses like the Teatros Nacional and Zaragoza showed Mexican films with stars like María Félix and Pedro Infante; tandas de variedad (variety shows) were also presented with local headliners like comic actress “La Chata Noloesca” and singers like Eva Garza. In 1947, KCOR became San Antonio’s first Spanish
language radio station and Rosita Fernández gained a large audience singing in “La Hora Anáhuac.” Mexican music was also featured on English language station WOAI where Rosita sang in Spanish and English to a primarily Englishspeaking audience. In 1959, Rosita started performing at the Arneson River Theater in “Fiesta Noche del Río,” showcasing San Antonio talent like flamenco musician El Curro and Spanish dancer Teresita Champion. During her 36-year tenure as headliner, Rosita became the city’s goodwill ambassador, performing for kings, presidents, and international notables. Late in her career Fernández was in several Hollywood movies, including The Alamo with John Wayne (1960) and Seguin (1982). On September 23, 1982, mayor Henry Cisneros signed a city resolution proclaiming that the arched bridge spanning the San Antonio River to the Arneson Theater be named “Rosita Bridge.” In 1992, she was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame.
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Beatriz Llamas Beatriz was born on August 5, 1938, in Aguascalientes, México. When she was 11, she moved with her mother and sister to Edinburg, Texas, to join her father. When he became ill, Beatriz’s mother became the family’s breadwinner. Beatriz would help her mother clean houses and they would sing along with the radio. Her mother had been a singer known as La Varita de Nardo but was forced to quit by her husband after they married. She dreamed of a songbird’s life and lived her dream through Beatriz, encouraging her to practice mannerisms in front of the mirror and study local talent competitions. In 1951, the Llamas family moved to San Antonio and Beatriz entered her first talent contest. While Eva Garza beat her, Rita Vidaurri gave her the opportunity to sing on the radio. She later entered another talent contest and placed first, beginning her career by singing on radio shows and in live performances and touring with different musical acts at the age of 15. Her mother was very supportive and worked overtime to support her. As the years passed, she gained attention from the owners of Sombrero Records and began recording singles as “La Paloma del Norte.” She worked with KCOR, sharing the stage with the brothers of Trío Los Osos, Alfonso, Alberto and Arturo López, with whom she fell in love and married. After recording her hit “Seas Como Seas,” she signed a two-year contract with Bego Records and toured nationally with Miguel Aceves Mejía, Cornelio Reyna, Trío Los Duques, actor Joaquín Cordero and others. In the following years, she became the first Tejana to perform at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Tragically, a fire claimed the lives of the three López brothers, a story told in
“Vuela Paloma del Norte,” also known as “El Corrido de Mariachi Chapultepec,” by Gumersindo Antúnez. After her loss, Cornelio Reyna and Carlos Guzmán persuaded her to resume her career, but after a tour in California she felt she had reached her peak and decided to attend cosmetology school to provide financial support for her four children. Yet the public would not let her go, and she began to tour again, but slowly cut back to raise her children. In 1990, the Texas Music Museum honored Beatríz Llamas, Lydia Mendoza and Rita Vidaurri with an exhibit at the Texas State Capital Rotunda. In 1995, she was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame, followed by induction into the Tejano Conjunto Hall of Fame early in 1999. After suffering a mild stroke, Beatriz is back on her feet and continues to perform at local venues and functions as well as with Las Tesoros de San Antonio. 11
Lydia Mendoza (1916-2007)
Lydia Mendoza, the legendary “Alondra de la Frontera” (meadowlark of the border), was born into an artistic and musical family. Her mother and father were trained singers and musicians in San Luis Potosí, México. The Mendozas had eight children they organized into a performing troupe. The parents played guitars and sang while the children played violin, mandolin and percussion. In 1927, the Mendozas relocated to Texas from Monterrey, México, and the family troupe started performing in community halls and restaurants. In 1932, the Mendozas moved to San Antonio, and Lydia began playing a mandolin and singing with her sister Panchita and their parents in the ensemble “El Cuarteto Carta Blanca.” The quartet regularly performed at La Plaza del Zacate – a large open plaza that was the social hub of the Mexican downtown, near the landmark Nacional and Zaragoza theaters – as well as the famous Carta Blanca restaurant. In 1934, Lydia Mendoza recorded “Mal Hombre” as a soloist, accompanying herself on a twelve-string guitar, which became one of her biggest hits. After World War II, she recorded for many Mexican American record labels in Texas, touring with caravanas de artistas (artist caravans) that performed in the tandas de variedad (variety shows) following the screening of Mexican films in theaters throughout the country. Lydia Mendoza was a beloved artist of the people. She followed the migrant stream, 12
performing for campesinos and working class audiences in clubs and salones de baile in locales like Los Angeles, Detroit and New York. Singing only in Spanish, Mendoza kept alive a vast repertoire of música de antaùo (old-style, traditional music), often rooted in oral tradition. As a soloist accompanied by her twelve-string guitar, Lydia Mendoza was especially noted for her heartfelt interpretation of traditional Tejano songs. Singing with a deep sentiment arising from her soul, her music embodied the audience’s collective experiences and aspirations. In 1982, Lydia Mendoza became the first Texan to receive the National Heritage Fellowship lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1997, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts Trust. Mendoza was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame in 1988, and in 1999 was installed as a member of The Conjunto Hall of Fame. Living to be 91, Lydia Mendoza died on December 20, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas.
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Blanca Rosa Born into a musical family and raised in San Antonio, Blanca Rosa (Blanca Rodriguez) began singing at the age of five. A graduate from Lanier High School on San Antonio’s Westside, Sra. Blanca Rosa studied voice with Professor Gutiérrez and solfeo with Professor Juan Guidan. Sra. Rosa has toured the United States and Mexico, performing with such groups as Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Mariachi América, Mariachi de Ramón Palomar, and Los Reyes de Jalisco; with singing stars like Amalia Mendoza, Charro Avita, and Vicente Fernández; and stars such as José Alfredo Jiménez and Juan Mendoza. Under the guidance of musical director Sr. Neto
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Caballero, her recordings include hits like “La Chancla,” “Sabor de Engaño,” “Nada Más para Mí,” “Otras,” “Buscando un Camino,” and many more. Apart from her professional singing career, Blanca Rosa actively participates in the educational process [as a music teacher], instructing and coaching her students in singing techniques, and now with Las Tesoros de San Antonio.
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Chelo Silva 1922-1988
Consuelo (Chelo) Silva, known as “La Reina Tejana del Bolero,” is considered one of the pioneers of traditional Mexican music in Texas. She was born on August 25, 1922, in Brownsville, Texas, the eldest daughter of 7 children. Chelo began singing as a teenager in school and church where she was noticed by local musicians and began singing with the Tito Crixell Orchestra. In 1938, she performed in her first Charro Day. As she matured, Chelo became a passionate performer and brilliant interpreter of the canción romántica. By 1939, she was asked to sing on a local radio program hosted by Américo Paredes who later became a noted poet, writer, composer and folklorist. They married 2 years later but divorced. 16
Radio gave Chelo Silva a wider exposure and she began performing regularly at Corpus Christi’s Continental Club. She was 30 years old before she landed her first record deal with Discos Falcón of McAllen. With this label she went on to record over 70 titles. With her fame spreading throughout the Southwest, the Mexican label Peerless soon began distributing her records all over México, making her an international star. By 1955, Chelo had signed on with Columbia Records and immediately put together an impressive string of hit songs: “Imploración,” “Está Sellado,” “Sabes de Que Tengo Ganas,” “Soy Bohemia,” “Inolvidable,” and “Amor Aventurero.” This success led to her touring throughout the Southwest and México, with such notables of the música ranchera as José Alfredo Jiménez, Javier Solís, Lola Beltrán and Vicente Fernández. Chelo continued to perform until the 1980s, touring extensively throughout Mexico, South America and the U.S. One of the true greats of Latino music, Chelo performed until shortly before her death in 1988 at the age of 65 of cancer. Chelo Silva was instrumental in helping popularize Tejano music outside of Texas along with Lydia Mendoza. They were often referred to as “Las Grandes de Tejas.” In 1995, Arhoolie Records released a best-of collection that included some of Silva’s most-loved songs including “Imploración,” “Está Sellado,” and “Amor Aventurero.” In 2004, she was inducted into the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the South Texas Music Walk of Fame. Left: Lydia Mendoza and Chelo Silva.
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Perla Tapatía Born in 1931, Perla Tapatía (Janet Cortez) was raised on Matamoros St. in the Westside of San Antonio, Texas. Her career began after Meme Reyes, a well known comedienne and actress, heard her sing at the Cabana Nite Club in San Antonio. Reyes had invited Perla and her family to one of her comedy shows, where she announced to the audience that they had to “hear this girl sing” and approached Perla’s table with the microphone. Perla was nervous but also flattered and ended up singing three songs. In the audience that night was Manuel Leal, el Locutor de Radio, who asked Perla if she wanted to sing at the Municipal Auditorium in a show with the comedian Tin-Tan. When Perla protested that she had no costume, he told her to borrow one from Lydia Mendoza, who immediately agreed. Accompanied by “Los Conquistadores,” Perla’s performance was a big hit. The mariachi group “Los Michoacanos” saw her perform that night and asked Perla to travel with them to perform in San Francisco. She accepted, and under the stage name “Perla Tapatía,” she began singing professionally at the age of 24. From there she went on to record with Sombrero Records and Rosina Records, performing throughout the United States and in parts of Mexico. She also had a contract with Jax Brewing Company to sing on the radio. After a successful start to her career, Perla was struck with throat cancer in 1973, at the 18
Lydia Mendoza and Perla TapatĂa at left.
age of 41. Her doctor performed a new procedure to remove half of her voice box and two of her four vocal cords. While the operation was a success, she later underwent over 39 operations for cancer-related problems. Her doctor told her that although she might be able to talk in a whisper, she would never be able to sing again. After losing her ability to talk for two years, she regained the ability to speak and even sing for her family and friends. She attributes this to the Grace of God and believes that as long as she has faith nothing is impossible. Now in her 80s, Perla continues to sing with Las Tesoros de San Antonio, possibly the only singer who sings with a tracheotomy. 19
Rita Vidaurri Actress, musician and businesswoman, Rita Vidaurri was born in 1924 in San Antonio’s Westside and lived in el Callejón de Montezuma. Cantinflas, Mario Moreno, discovered her at the Teatro Nacional in San Antonio where she began singing and winning contests at the tender age of 14. She was very popular in the mid ’40s to late ’50s throughout México as well as in Central and South America. She even toured in Cuba with “La Reina Azucar” Celia Cruz, and the “queen of boleros” Olga Guillot. She performed with the likes of Tin Tan, Pedro Vargas, Trío Tariácuri, Lalo González (El Piporro) y muchos más. Famed Mexican singer Lorenzo Barcelata gave her his own personal, autographed guitar and baptized her with the name of “La Calandria” (the songbird). Throughout México, she was also known as “La Ranchera.” However, in her own hometown of San Antonio, Rita was not as well known even though she was the official Jax Beer Poster girl in 1957. As part of the Arte es Vida project of Esperanza that revives and reclaims historical and cultural memory in the Westside of San Antonio, La Calandria, Rita Vidaurri, returned to the recording studios, and in 2004 released the first CD for her own San Antonio comunidad. En sus tiempos pasados, Rita recorded three albums and more than fifty singles, and on October 29, 2004, was inducted into the National Hispanic Music Hall of Fame. Now in her late 80s, Rita Vidaurri continues to sing con pasión y fuerza - not the passion of a young woman who is experiencing the innocence and ardor of first love, but the passion of a woman who has experienced the deepest of all loves in living a full and complete life. Her songs are infused with a love that bore her three
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sons who died before their time, a love for her only living daughter and a love for her grandchildren - a love that allows her to continue to work and care for children as a volunteer teacher’s assistant. When one hears Rita sing, it is with the knowledge that “amor eterno” is one that transcends the limitations of our earth-bound life. Rita sings professionally with her compañeras, Las Tesoros de San Antonio.
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Agradecimientos
Madrinas and Padrinos De oro
Tina Garza Moore, Dudley Brooks & Tomás Ybarra-Frausto
De plata Janie Barrera, Mary Esther & Joe Bernal, Frank Cervantes of Cervantes Video Productions, Yolanda Broyles González, Antonia Castañeda & Arturo Madrid, Sandra Cisneros, Sandra & Raphael Guerra, Mildred Hilbrich, Amy Kastely & Graciela Isabel Sánchez, Angie Merla, Josie Merla Martin, Lucy & Ray Pérez, Martha Prentiss, Ellen Riojas Clark, The Rose Shop, Bernard Sánchez, Isabel & Enrique Sánchez, Cynthia Spielman, Edward Vela and Evergreen Nursery, Tino Villanueva
y como siempre nuestra buena gente who made the program run smoothly. This event is funded in part by the City of San Antonio Dept for Culture and Creative Development, National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, theFund, Coyote Phoenix Fund, AKR Foundation, Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone Foundation y la buena gente de Esperanza.
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The people of Esperanza dream of a world where everyone has
civil rights and economic justice, where the environment is cared for, where cultures are honored and communities are safe. The Esperanza advocates for those wounded by domination and
inequality – women, people of color, queer people, the working
class and poor. We believe in creating bridges between people by exchanging ideas and educating and empowering each other.
Esperanza’s work is based in a philosophy of cultural grounding
and social change. We produce and present programs that break stereotypes • provoke dialogue • honor traditional cultures •
nurture new aesthetics • emancipate people • renew the soul • build communities • and teach about the critical importance of art and expression.
We see that the cultures of underserved communities are
disappearing in a world of commercialism and materialism that
portrays women, people of color, people with disabilities, queer and poor people in harmful stereotypes. Our programs, by and for these communities, strive to produce honest and holistic
representations of diverse cultures of San Antonio and the world. Through artistic creation and cultural expression, previously
silenced groups and individuals come to new understandings of themselves, each other, and the world.
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Esperanza peace & Justice CenteR 922 San Pedro, San Antonio TX | 210.228.0201 | www.esperanzacenter.org