Lalo: My Life and Music [Paperback]

Lalo Guerrero (Author), Sheilyn Meece Mentes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2002

He has been called "the father of Chicano music" and "the original Chicano hepcat." A modest man in awe of his own celebrity, he has sung of the joys and sorrows, dreams and frustrations of the Mexican American community over a sixty-year career. Lalo Guerrero is an American original, and his music jubilantly reflects the history of Chicano popular culture and music. Lalo's autobiography takes readers on a musical rollercoaster, from his earliest enjoyment of Latino and black sounds in Tucson to his burgeoning career in Los Angeles singing with Los Carlistas, the quartet with which he began his recording career in 1938. During the fifties and sixties his music dominated the Latin American charts in both North and South America, and his song "Canción Mexicana" has become the unofficial anthem of Mexico. Through the years, Lalo mastered boleros, rancheras, salsas, mambos, cha-chas, and swing; he performed protest songs, children's music, and corridos that told of his people's struggles. Riding the crest of changing styles, he wrote pachuco boogies in one period and penned clever Spanish parodies of American hit songs in another. For all of these contributions to American music, Lalo was awarded a National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton. Lalo's story is also the story of his times. We meet his family and earliest musical associates—including his long relationship with Manuel Acuña, who first got Lalo into the recording studio—and the many performers he counted as friends, from Frank Sinatra to Los Lobos. We relive the spirit of the nightclubs where he was a headliner and the one-night stands he performed all over the Southwest. We also discover what life was like in old Tucson and in mid-century L.A. as seen through the eyes of this uniquely creative artist. "In 1958," Guerrero recalls, "I wrote a song about a Martian who came to Earth to clear up certain misunderstandings about Mars. Now I have decided that it is time to set some things straight about Lalo Guerrero." Lalo does just that, in an often funny, sometimes sentimental story that traces the musical genius of a man whose talent has taken him all over the world, but who still believes in giving back to the community. His story is a gift to that community. The book also features a detailed discography, compiled by Lalo's son Mark, tracing his recorded output from the days of 78s to his most recent CDs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero is well known and loved in both Mexico and the Mexican American community as a superstar bandleader of the 1940s. A National Medal of the Arts winner, he is comparable to Glenn Miller but not on the same level as a composer like Duke Ellington. This slim memoir is written in a simple, conversational style. Vignettes cover every period of his long, rich life (he's 85 and still performs), from his childhood years in Tucson's Barrio Libre and earliest musical training to his rise to fame and fortune as a Spanish- and English-language recording artist. As a Latino, Guerrero faced discrimination and had to change his name to Don Edwards to record for Imperial Records. Those more trying moments are neither glossed over nor discussed with bitterness. Given that no other biographies are available and that Guerrero has influenced many contemporary artists (e.g., Linda Ronstadt), this would make a good addition to all music libraries and public libraries serving a Mexican American population. Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Although nearly unknown by Anglos outside the Southwest, National Medal of the Arts winner Guerrero, 85, is a heavyweight in Latin music. He tells his story from his childhood in Tucson, where his father worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad, to the present. His parents, who spoke little English, emphasized their Mexican roots, as does their singing son. Guerrero's recording career, begun in 1938, produced "more than 700 songs on several major labels," records which "dominated the Latin American charts in both North and South America." (A copious discography, sans recording session notes, is included.) Guerrero hasn't much of a bad word for anybody. He rationalizes his father's rather severe disciplining of him, remarking that "Papa hit me pretty hard sometimes, but . . . I really think it was because he loved me"--a sentiment rarely heard in these sensitive times. This rich story of a venerated star of what has now morphed into world music is an obvious choice for many pop and world music collections. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816522146
• ISBN-13: 978-0816522149
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,123,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A different side to American pop music, July 6, 2011

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Mark S. Crawford (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lalo: My Life and Music (Paperback)

For a mid-western Anglo like myself, this was a pleasant read about the Father of Chicano music. I only recently became aware of his body of work and his legacy. Lalo makes the point that his music was American pop music and just as "native" as any genre; like any genre of music, it just had different roots. The book is a casual read. It reads like a conversation while sitting on the porch. Many stories we're told, but not much historical detail. The book is not a music history book, per se, but does make a good companion to other sources that present more detailed examinations of Chicano music. As you read the book, be sure and see/listen to his songs on youtube.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lalo Guerrero, April 6, 2011

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Antonio - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lalo: My Life and Music (Paperback)

I RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS BOOK ON THE LIFE OF THE LATE & LEGENDARY DON LALO GUERRERO, AND WAS REALLY AMAZED ON THE CONDITION OF THE BOOK. IT SAID "USED" BUT WAS IN BETTER SHAPE THAN I EXPECTED...I RECOMMEND THE SELLER TO ALL LOOKING FOR A GREAT DEAL.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The musical genius who changed the face of Latin music, June 6, 2002

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lalo: My Life and Music (Paperback)

Lalo's memoir tells of the musical genius who changed the face of Latin music, documenting a sixty-year period in which Latin music styles and creation saw unparalleled changes. The first-person account tells of his life and his involvement in the changing world of Latin music.