Songs played on this episode of Rancho Alegre on KEDA - Saturday 9/6/25: 

Break - bedding music: Big Head Todd & the Monsters - Imaginary Ships

Break - bedding music: Madreblu - Certamente

Mix of the Day - Chano Cadena

In memory of Ernesto "Teto" Cadena

As bandleader of a solid, hardworking conjunto for over 40 years, San Antonio's Rudy Garcia was truly ahead of his time. He wrote and registered his own songs. He managed himself and played all over Texas. He had his own record label called Godfather Records. His sound was truly unique.

Back in May 2016, we caught up with Rudy and a couple of his long- time band members at his home in San Antonio.

Rudy passed away in July 2024. 

Songs played on this episode of Rancho Alegre on KEDA - Saturday 8/2/25: 

Interview with Flaco Jimenez, recorded in 2016. 

Songs played on this episode of Rancho Alegre on KEDA - Saturday 8/23/25: 

Break - bedding music: Hall & Oates - I Can't Go for That

Break - bedding music: Rod Stewart - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy

Mix of the Day - Angel Flores y Los Alacranes

Songs played on this episode of Rancho Alegre on KEDA - Saturday 8/9/25: 

Break - bedding music: Jackson Browne - Somebody's Baby

Break - bedding music: Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster

Break - bedding music: Four Seasons - Oh What a Night

Mix of the Day - Mingo Saldivar - Me Agarraste Borracho - Pajaro Negro - Regresa Ya

Songs played on this episode of Rancho Alegre on KEDA - Saturday 8/16/25: 

Break - bedding music: Patrice Rushing - Forget Me Nots

Break - bedding music: Brian Setzer Orchestra - Jump, Jive & Wail

Break - bedding music: Rationale - Fast Lane

Mix of the Day - Los Garcia Brothers

In memory of Jose Garcia Sr of Los Garcia Brothers

Join Piper and Frank for an hour of talking about Rancho Alegre's upcoming busy month in March! Plus, hear some background stories and the origin story of the festival and the organization!

Links mentioned

Amplify Austin donate link: ⁠https://www.amplifyatx.org/organizations/ranchoalegre⁠

Austin Public watch link:

⁠https://www.austinfilm.org/austin-public/watch/⁠

Consuela:

⁠https://consuelastyle.com/⁠

Rancho Alegre festival information:

⁠https://ranchoalegre.org/festival⁠

Rancho Alegre store:

⁠https://shop.ranchoalegre.org/⁠

Association of Independents in Radio:

⁠https://airmedia.org/announcing-airs-new-voices-amplify-fellows⁠

Fellow podcasts in our cohort:

• ⁠Kahani Jaani Anjaani - Stories in Hindi⁠

"El Gallo" Dez is a brand new voice in Tejano music who is just now embarking on his first adventure in the genre. Luckily for him, he is already off to a great start, having been discovered by Tejano music icon Shelly Lares, who is producing his music, mentoring him, and guiding him on this path.

We caught up with the California native on a beautiful summer day here in Austin and got to know more about his background and what brought him to this new chapter in his life and music.

Stick around after the interview and check out his debut single, "Rogando Por Tu Amor," which he co-wrote with Shelly and released on her Shellshock Records 3 label. Be sure to look for him, Shelly Lares, and Shellshock Records 3 on all social media channels.

And be sure to subscribe to this podcast, and as we migrate all of the long-form in-depth intimate interviews with legendary, veteran, and up-and-coming artists that we’ve been doing for over a decade over to this platform.

Thank you for your support - as always!

Jimmy Gonzalez passed away 6/6/2018. Thanks to an assist from Freddie and Marc Martinez, we recorded this interview at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Corpus Christi in December 2012.

Most Tejano fans know where they were when they heard that Jimmy Gonzalez, bandleader of Grupo Mazz, passed away. We happened to be on an interview trip to San Antonio that day along with our friend and board member Joe Olvera of lovemytejano.com. In the days that followed, there was wall-to-wall coverage on every Tejano music radio station across the country, with fans and fellow musicians calling in with their remembrances of him. He was beloved and earned every accolade and every tear shed in the days after this death.

This interview is not just for Tejano music fans, but for music fans in general, as Jimmy had a great story. He tells of the humble beginnings of Grupo Mazz in Brownsville in the late 70s, their rise to stardom in the 80s, and the devastating breakup with Joe Lopez in the late 90s that left Jimmy broken and lost, wondering what to do with his life.

When he chose to get back into music, no record labels would give him a chance except for Freddie Martinez and his label, Freddie Records. With that opportunity to shine, Jimmy and his new version of Grupo Mazz earned 7 Grammy Awards and became one of the most bankable and popular Tejano groups from 2000 to his death in 2018.

Despite what Baldo says in the interview, we didn't include any music in this episode because thankfully Jimmy's music lives on, available on all digital streaming platforms and his son Mike Gonzalez is carrying forth his father's legacy with his own group, Mike Gonzalez and The Iconiczz. We encourage you to cruise around your favorite streaming platform or YouTube and get a taste of the sound Jimmy created for Grupo Mazz. Driven by synthesizer and guitar, the sound of Grupo Mazz was the epitome of the new sound of Tejano that rose in popularity in the late 1970s as the brass, horn-driven sound of the Orquesta Tejana became less popular and bandleaders opted for synthesizers as a cheaper alternative to horn players.

As with most of our interviews, this is one of, and perhaps the only long-form, intimate, and thoughtful interviews with Jimmy Gonzalez, and we hope you enjoy learning more about the legend in his own words and voice.

Special thanks to Thomas Hernandez of Austin's own Turntable Records and Tommy DeLeon for joining us on this Rancho Alegre adventure way back when.

Beatriz Llamas, La Paloma Del Norte, passed away yesterday, May 15, 2023. This interview was recorded at her home in San Antonio in June 2015.

Known as La Paloma Del Norte, Beatriz was the first female recording artist on the storied Tejano record label Bego Records. Her strong, passionate voice, ever-present cat-eye makeup, and engaging stage presence made an indelible impression on Tejano and Conjunto fans all over Texas and beyond beginning in the early 1960s.

Conducted by our own Baldomero "El Parrandero" Cuellar, the interview is entirely in Spanish. But, even if you don't understand the language, her zest for life and her personality shine through and it's just fun to listen to. You can especially tell how absolutely smitten he was just talking with her. We also have a passable English transcription available on our website.  

At the 2015 Tejano-Conjunto Festival en San Antonio, Beatriz delighted the crowd with a special performance, backed up by the iconic Eva Ybarra y Su Conjunto Siempre.

After (but not because of) our interview in 2015, some pretty amazing things happened for Beatriz. With help from San Antonio's Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Beatriz and her musical sisters Perla Tapatia, Rita Vidaurri and Blanca Rodriguez were featured in a documentary called Las Tesoros de San Antonio: A Westside Story, and performed all over the country. In 2019, as the surviving members of the group, Blanca and Beatriz were honored with the prestigious NEA National Heritage Fellowship and performed in Washington, DC.

Music played in this episode:

Dios Me Libre - Los Fabulosos Cuatro with Beatrice [sic] Llamas

Hambre - Los Fabulosos Cuatro with Beatrice Llamas

Caso Perdido - Beatriz Llamas with Los Dos Gilbertos

Distancia Maldita - Beatriz Llamas