Conjunto music legend Alfredo De La Rosa passed away on April 8, 2022. A member of one of the most storied and influential musical family dynasties in Texas music, Alfredo spent many years playing with brothers Tony and Adan and sister Eva as well as with his own Conjunto. His style was steeped in the classic Conjunto of the Coastal Bend: a clean, straightforward sound driven by a strong, unrelenting beat and equally strong vocals, perfect for the dancehalls of South Texas.

In 2012, Alfredo underwent a successful, life-saving liver and kidney transplant, however, he retired from public performances several years later.

Thanks to his son Rick, we were fortunate to sit down with the legend himself and learn about his life, career, and more. The interview is in Spanish with our very own Baldomero Cuellar. We have also chosen a few tracks from his vast catalog to accompany the interview.

Recorded September 2017 at Alfredo's home in Kingsville, TX.

Songs:

Preso Me Llevan

No Hay Lugar

La Mechuda

Que Mal Me Siento

Juzgan Mi Vida

Leñita Verde

Recorded on two occasions, in 2012 and 2018 at the Little Joe Museum in Temple, Texas.

The “King of the Brown Sound” is a fitting nickname for Little Joe Hernandez. The music he has played over his storied career has blended together everything from mariachi, orquesta, conjunto, country, doo-wop, Sinatra-style standards, jazz, rock, salsa, and whatever else sounds and feels right, creating a sound that has resonated with Chicanos for over 60 years.

Coming from humble beginnings in the cotton fields of Temple, Texas, Little Joe has seen it all. Famous for collaborations and duets, the Grammy winner has worked with everyone from Conjunto pioneer Valerio Longoria to longtime Tejano friends Ruben Ramos and Roberto Pulido to Country legend Willie Nelson and many more.

We made a special trip to his museum in Temple to talk with the man himself. Surrounded by photos and memorabilia, we talked about his life and career, even some politics. There’s a lot of insight, a lot of philosophy, and some good laughs too.

In 2018, we returned to catch up with the legend and talk about his upcoming honor from the City of Temple, Little Joe Hernandez Street.

Since then, Little Joe was named Texas State Musician for 2019 and in 2020, his biography No Llore, Chingón, written by Emma Gonzalez, was published.

In 2023, Little Joe has been honored with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

(note: we included his Schlitz Beer commercial for historical purposes only)

Track Listing:

Rocky Hernandez is a beloved Tejano music legend who very rarely gives interviews and has retired from public performances. Just the mention of his name among Tejano fans or musicians immediately inspires a smile and a great memory, along with, invariably, a mention of his phenomenal talent. So you can imagine how honored we were that he agreed to sit down with us to reflect on his life, career, and whatever else was on his mind.

Well-known for his incredible voice, charm, and charisma, the second to youngest of the famous Hernandez family of Temple, Texas, Rocky has music in his blood. He joined brothers Joe and Johnny in Little Joe and the Latinaires (and later, La Familia), fusing together traditional influences along with contemporary jazz, R&B, and blues to create an iconic sound and contribute to the foundation for Tejano music as know it today.

Rocky embarked on a solo career in the early 1980s and continued until health reasons required him to slow down and eventually retire. His solo recordings (some are included in this playlist) are still highly sought after among Tejano music fans all over the country and beyond.

Special thanks to Johnny Hernandez and Rudy Ancira for helping make this happen. Rudy also took some fantastic photos of the event, which we have shared on our Facebook page.

This interview was recorded in October 2017 at Rocky's home in Temple, TX. In 2022, Rocky began performing again with brothers Little Joe and Gilbert.

Song listing:

"Buena Suerte Corazon" - Rocky Hernandez

"Al Cortar Una Gardenia" - Rocky Hernandez

Johnny Hernandez has seen it all in over six decades in Tejano music. From his beginnings with his brothers in Little Joe and the Latinaires to his solo career and everything in between, Johnny remains one of the most passionate performers, one of its strongest talents, and a tireless advocate for Tejano music.

We got the rare honor of interviewing the legend during his visit to Austin in December 2016 when he came to perform with Big Band Tejano at the Onion Creek Ballroom for an event with the Tejano Music Alliance of Texas. Considering that, at the time, he resided in Modesto, California, we jumped at the chance to get his story and meet the man himself.

He did not disappoint. A former radio personality and executive himself, Johnny told us the story of his career AND of Tejano music, particularly what he refers to as True Tejano Music (which is usually called Orquesta). The horns and big band sounds were the precursors to the Tejano music we know today.

Johnny also wrote an autobiography called The Cotton Picker: An Odyssey, which recounts his life and times in this crazy industry. The book will soon be re-released in hardback.

We talked about everything from music to politics to history to, of course, the state of modern Tejano music as he sees it. We hope you enjoy getting to know the man as much as we did.

Special thanks to Rudy Ancira of the Tejano Music Alliance of Texas for coordinating the interview and for taking great photos like the one above.

Since this interview, we have had the opportunity to work with Johnny firsthand. We flew him out for a symposium on Orquesta music in late 2017 and as the special Tejano guest for the 2022 Rancho Alegre Conjunto Music Festival, where he performed with Los Cucuys de Rodney Rodriguez. Both times, he proved once again that he is the "real deal," and that he can still bring the house down.

Music listing:

"Corazon del Pueblo" - Isidro Lopez

"Echale Cinco Al Piano" - Little Joe and the Latinaires

"Las Nubes" - Little Joe y La Familia

"Total" - Johnny Hernandez

"Por Un Amor" - Little Joe and the Latinaires

Recorded in 2011 and 2012 at Mingo's home in San Antonio.

What can you say about Mingo Saldivar? Dubbed “The Dancing Cowboy” because of his inimitable, engaging, passionate performance style, Mingo entertained audiences all over the world (including Africa!) for over 50 years before retiring in the mid-2010s.

At the time of the interview, he was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tejano Music Awards, just one of the many accolades and honors he has received over an amazing career, including a National Heritage Fellowship awarded to him by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002.

In this broad-ranging interview, Mingo not only tells his life story and gets into the nitty gritty of Conjunto music as well. Born in 1936 in Marion, Texas, but raised on the west side of San Antonio, he recounts seeing Valerio Longoria performing and how he would run home immediately to try to play what he saw Valerio playing.

You'll also hear about his family, his time in Anchorage, Alaska, how he decided to incorporate Country & Western music into his repertoire, and more. Plus, we have hand-picked some of his classic tunes from his time in Los Guadalupanos as well as on his own with his band Los Cuatro Espadas.

Music played:

Sin Condiciones

Linda Twist - Los Guadalupanos

Andan Diciendo

Lo Que Dios Recoje

Me Agarraste Borracho

Te Voy A Comprar

Rueda De Fuego

Perla Del Mar - Los Guadalupanos

Mil Cadenas

Por Que No Me Comprendes (with Little Joe)

Pajaro Negro

Regresa Ya

Frenta A Una Virgen

Calabacita Con Pollo

Swinging Doors

Cardenal

Nick Villarreal passed away in July 2017. This interview was recorded in September 2011 at El Torreón Restaurant in San Antonio.

Conjunto legend Nick Villarreal, or “Nicky Snick,” if you prefer, was a character larger than life itself. He was a man with charisma so strong, it’s almost radioactive. From his jokes to his laugh, to that big booming voice, he was just FUN.

A member of the Zimmerle family of San Antonio, Nick specialized in composing songs about everything from Kool-Aid to Viagra to Tiger Woods and former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros. His unmistakable, easy-going goofy cumbias were his trademark, along with his catch phrase, “Ah Nyi Nyi!”

In his later years, his health declined considerably, a subject that he discusses in the interview. While he struggled with the same problems as many of his fans, he continued to perform at festivals, still wrote his songs with the same humor, and could sometimes be found in the recording studio as well.

A man like him, with such a long career and such observational humor, had a lot of stories to tell. In fact, we had already wrapped up the interview when he remembered something that he wanted to say, so we turned the mics back on and let the legend speak his mind.

As you can imagine, we had a great time with this one. Piper normally stays quiet during interviews, but couldn’t help but laugh during this one.

Music played:

La Not to Worry

El Child Support

Recuerdo A Mi Madre

A Mis Hermanos Los Soldados (live on Johnny Canales)

Kool-Aid Con Hielo

Aun Se Acuerda De Mi (with Los Enmascarados)

Un Carrito Chiquito (with Los Enmascarados)

El Tiger Woods

La Sugar Free

El Parrandero

Dos Mariachas En La Tienda

La Pildorita Azul Viagra

Mi Guera Cumbiambera

Parranda De Oso Negro

El Soldado Razo

Nick's In the Mood Medley

El Mudo

Thinking of You

Cerezo Rosa

La Pass It Around

Fito Olivares passed away on March 17, 2023 at age 75.

In July 2013, Rancho Alegre met up with the Cumbia legend before a show at Cuauhtemoc Hall in San Marcos, Texas, and he gave us what he said was one of the most in-depth and fulfilling interviews he had ever given up until that point.

We learned a lot about the man himself, his musical influences, his early solo career on Gil Records, his time with the old-school Conjunto Regional/early Norteño group Dueto Estrella, and much more from his 60-year career.

This interview is entirely in Spanish, but we're working on a transcription, which we will post on ranchoalegre.org soon.

Music played:

Cumbia de la Cobra

Que de Mala - Dueto Estrella

La Otra Musiquera - Tam y Tex

Esta Cobardia

La Sabrosona