The rain didn’t keep Isidoro Lopez and Raul Alvarez from huddling over lunch at El Arroyo last Tuesday. The voice of KOOP’s Fiesta Musical and the City Council member/founder of the Austin Latino Music Association (ALMA), respectively, are hot on the Trail of Tejano Legends.
The Trail of Tejano Legends is ALMA’s effort to provide recognition for longtime local Latino musicians, some of whom have been playing since the 1940s and 1950s. Names such as the Ramos family and Nash Hernandez are well known across Austin, but others such as the Perez family and Roy Montelongo have equally important history and contributions to local music. ALMA proposed to the City of Austin a plan to name city facilities such as the Mexican-American Cultural Center and Fiesta Gardens Pavilion for these artists.
On Saturday, March 14, that dream comes true. The MACC will be the site of a 10am ceremony initiating Phase One of the Trail of Tejano Legends, with Johnny Degollado, Manuel “Cowboy” Donley, Nash Hernandez, Roy Montelongo, the Perez and Ramos families, and Matias Velasquez.
Alvarez and Lopez were effusive in their enthusiasm for the Trail and their desire to connect it to Austin’s music history with fanfare. That’s why it’s happening the weekend before South by Southwest, when the eyes and ears of Austin are tuned to music. And ALMA’s got plenty more on its musical agenda this year, with May designated as Latino Music Month, another Pachanga Fest, plus Santana-Rama, Sabor Latino, and the annual Sonidos del Barrio show including their Idolos del Barrio awards.
Say, what’s Spanish for Live Music Capital of Texas?
This article appears in February 20 • 2009.