Jerry Salas joined the legendary El Chicano in 1973, which were one of the most visibly successful bands to emerge from the East Los Angeles Latin-rock scene in the early 1970’s.
After creating a buzz in East L.A. in the late ’60s, El Chicano signed with MCA in 1970 and recorded its debut album, Viva Tirado. At that time the Band were led by Freddie Sanchez and were named The V.I.P’s but a quick name change to the more controversial El Chicano, heralded a new career arc.
The instrumental title song, which was written by jazz pianist Gerald Wilson, was released as a single and became El Chicano’s biggest hit; the recording reached number 28 on Billboard’s pop singles chart and number 20 on its R&B singles chart. On regional L.A. charts, "Viva Tirado" spent about 12 weeks at number One. "Viva Tirado" was inspired by Mexican bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado and hit the right spot, it was an instrumental that occupied that hip zone, similar to others like Hugh Masekela’ “Grazing In the Grass’ and Ramsey Lewis’s “Wade In The Water”.
Santana ruled the roost in terms of Latin rock success and international exposure but El Chicano had a great grass roots following in the Mexican-American neighborhoods of the southwestern United States. After the Viva Tirado LP, El Chicano went on to record several more albums for MCA, including 1971’s Revolucion, 1972’s Celebration, 1973’s El Chicano, 1974’s Cinco, 1975’s The Best of Everything, and 1976’s Pyramid of Love & Friends. Jerry Salas also comments here “As far as Viva Tirado was concerned, don’t forget it was also on the Jazz charts at the same time as the others, this was a first. Also we did "This is El Chicano” in 1977 on Shadybrook Records, we should have got a hint by the name of the label.”
El Chicano’s second biggest hit came in 1973 when MCA released the brown-eyed soul classic "Tell Her She’s Lovely" as a single. Nationally, the tune (which features Jerry Salas on lead vocals) wasn’t a major hit; "Tell Her She’s Lovely" only reached number 40 on Billboard’s pop singles chart and number 98 on the magazine’s R&B singles chart. But in Mexican-American neighborhoods, the song was huge — among Chicano Baby Boomers, "Tell Her She’s Lovely" was a significant addition to El Chicano’s recorded and live canon.
The band made a long overdue return to the studio with 1998’s “Painting the Moment.” Which was essentially a solo effort by Bobby Espinosa. Released on Thump Records, this CD marked the return of original lead guitarist Mickey Lespron, who had not recorded with El Chicano since the 1970s. At the present time, El Chicano are touring with original members, Fred Sanchez, Bobby Espinosa, Rudy Regalado and Jerrty Salas.
Jerry Salas also leads a Christian band and has played large gigs in Brazil; both live and televised. He is also producing recordings for the Christian market.
This CD is a further testament to his wonderful “brown-eyed soul,” style of vocalizing as well as his strong rhythm guitar playing.
Recorded with family members, “Salas” is a strong outing which starts out with high register guitar and a strident vocal from Salas on the opener “Drive.” It has a poppy feel with a hot Latin groove. Nice congas and timbales, which are supplied by War’s drummer Sal Rodriguez, are brought high up in the mix. The albums ten cuts are mostly written by Jerry Salas, apart from one co-written with producer John Avila and “A Woman Like You” was written by Enrique Corro.
“You Will Always Be Loved,” has big chords and a synthesizer refrain on the intro. It’s a hopeful song that sings of trust and it has a jangling feel with nice flanged acoustic guitars and phased cymbal whooshes in the backing track.
“Shut Up,“ is a regga-fied piece that mostly works well, I usually have a problem with American musicians playing their “version:” of reggae, usually it’s too overplayed, especially by the drummers and guitarists. But here, Salas keeps it simple and simple is always best for reggae derived music. “Best Of Your Life.” follows and is piano-led plaintive song with Latino undercurrents to the song. Nice flanged acoustic guitar again from Salas and Bob Bobles bring an
melancholy vibe to a song of hopefulness and advice, to the broken dreamers among us. The song is sung by and helped with backing vocals from Salas’ family members.
This music is quintessentially Californian in scope and approach. There is that life-affirming aspect to the music, it must be the weather but this kind of music always has a very positive and vibrant feel within its grooves. And with the Latino feel present it is ideal music for hitting the open road on a gloriously sunny day. It brings to mind the more poppy end of El Chicano or some aspects of The Doobie Brothers.
“A Woman Like You,” is a straight-ahead poem to meeting that special woman, with another excellent brown-eyed soul vocal by Salas. The guitar is bright and fluent and dips in and out of the song with feeling.
“Because Of you,” sports another soaring vocal by Salas and
again is a love letter to his special woman. Tasty acoustic guitar adds depth and further lyricism. I love the way Latino male and female vocalists have that Afro American feel to their singing but yet it is a Brown pride version, a totally unique vocal style.
“Blood To Blood.’ is a slow-burner, which starts building to a Hammond B3 organ interlude, which further ups the ante with massed vocalising. “Everlasting Love, “ is a romantic poem set with a Godly theme to a acoustically based rhythm track.
Finally “Hiding My Emotions, “ is a rocker with two locked guitars high in the mix. All in all, a pleasing CD, full of generally mid-paced songs in a soulful setting. The production is good with no discernable nods to current production techniques. It’s a straight ahead recording with
obvious interest to all lovers of Salas’ work with El Chicano and enthusiasts of Latino rock style vocals.
Total CD playing Time = 46:34

Jim McCarthy
East Sussex.
England.
March 2009

Questions for Jerry Salas

(1)      Is this your only solo recording, or are their any others??
“This is my first solo release though I’ve recorded a lot of stuff.”
(2) What are you favourite El Chicano tunes and why??
“Chachita" which was the B-side of "Tell Her" because it’s soooo moody & heartfelt, "Gringo en Mexico" because of the vocals & was so different from what we were doing at the time. "What You Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You" Just because it rocks so hard! We wanted to release it after "Tell Her" but MCA didn’t, it would have been a smash! Check out the number of plays on You Tube.”
(3) Can you describe what “brown-eyed” soul means to you??
  “We named it The Brown Sound" we were always      introduced as the creators of The Brown Sound. It’s nothing more than an appreciation of all music played with our own undeniable heartfelt style.”
(4)      What do the songs on “Salas” mean to you??
“The songs I wrote for this CD are meant to uplift anyone who is going through or has gone through a hard spot in their life. In 2003 my wife of twenty years was on her deathbed made me promise to do just such a CD & I did.”
(5)      Do you wish to talk about your Christian faith at all??
“My faith is the reason I was able to write what I did and raise two teenage girls as a single dad. My church family in Portland Oregon pulled me through my wife’s passing.”
(6)      What are your musical influences??
“My father & older brother both played guitar & sang professionally, they were great teachers. I was also lucky enough to see Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and the Stones live in the late sixties to name a few, Gino Vannelli used to come see us at the Whiskey in Hollywood, I loved his jazz pop stuff as well.”
(7) What are your future music plans???
“I’m currently writing material for a new El Chicano CD as well as a new solo CD. I wrote and submitted a song with my nephew Sean Salas for the movie "Angels & Demons", It didn’t make it but you can hear it on You Tube it’s called "Illuminati" Oh by the way, I’m also in the movie playing a Cardinal.”

Tags: Bobby Espinosa, East LA, El Chicano. Jerry Salas. Viva Tirado, Fred Sanchez, Jim McCarthy, Latin Legends, Latin Rock, Tell Her She’s Lovely. Santana, Tierra, Voices of Latin Rock

Here is an article by Karen Murphy and Yvonne Montoya for Latino Future Magazine.
September 2006
Carlos Santana

By Karen Murphy & Yvonne Montoya
Photo Credits: J Records

Carlos Santana’s inimitable fusion of rock, jazz, blues, soul and Latin sounds have long earned him high praise. After 40 years in the fickle music industry, Santana remains a revered icon who has never sounded better.

When Jim Nash’s 1970s Rolling Stone review of Abraxas, Santana’s second album, said Santana “might do for Latin music what Chuck Berry did for the blues,” few people probably realized just how right that assessment was. Carlos Santana almost single-handedly brought the explosive Latin sound and energy of San Francisco’s blue collar Mission district in the 1960s out of the barrio and onto the world stage. Born the son of a virtuoso Mariachi violinist in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico, Carlos Santana had music running through his veins. He took up the violin at the age of five, but it was the music of the blues masters—John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and B.B. King—that reached deep into his soul. His first band in San Francisco actually was called the Santana Blues Band and it naturally mixed the music of his blues heroes with the Latin rhythms of his heritage.

After dropping the Blues Band moniker, the early Santana band released its first album, simply titled Santana, in January 1969. It featured a fusion of Santana’s hot electric guitar solos, Gregg Rolie’s bluesy organ and lead vocals with a three-prong Latin percussion section featuring Mike Shrieve on traps, José “Chepito” Areas on timbales and Michael Carabello on congas, underpinned by David Brown’s sturdy bass. It was, for rock and roll, both highly original and rhythmically uncompromising. Overnight, Santana’s music made a lot of rock music’s more monotonous 4/4 rhythms seem redundant. The album went gold, selling two million copies in its initial run.

Santana had been passed over by several producers before eventually being signed by legendary record mogul Clive Davis at Columbia, who focused more on the music and less on the cash register, according to Santana.

As Santana said in the foreword to the book, Voices of Latin Rock by Ron Sansoe and Jim McCarthy, “The first album was sound wise, no; music wise, yes. We’d been playing that material for about a year and a half. A lot of people forget we were headlining the Fillmore West without an album out. By the time we recorded it, it was done very fast with people who had no understanding of the music or how it should be recorded….”

Abraxas, which was released exactly one year later, is now widely recognized as one of greatest albums of all time. It secured Santana’s place among rock royalty and true to Santana’s love for the blues, Abraxas featured a haunting, powerful rendition of “Black Magic Woman”, originally penned by British blues guitar virtuoso Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac. The song was released as a single and it soon hit #4 on the Billboard music charts. The next track, Tito Puente’s classic Latin hit, “Oye Como Va”, became the second single and hit the charts at Number 13. The passion and ecstatic soloing on this album perfectly captured the psychedelic atmosphere of the times and showcased the incredible talent of all of the musicians.

Although 1971 started out on a high note—a new album in the works and a European tour preceded by an appearance in Ghana—a series of setbacks took a toll on the band. In February 1971, Chepito Areas suffered a brain hemorrhage right before the big tour and Coke Escovedo, whose brother Pete is the father of Prince collaborator Sheila E, had to be brought in to replace him.

As the band was struggling to record Santana 3 in 1971, everything began to fall apart. “We entered one of the worst periods of my life,” Santana said. “Success was getting to be too much. We were trying to make Santana 3, but overindulgence in everything available to a successful rock ‘n’ roller was becoming a problem. I started catching my friends shooting up in the bathroom.”

Santana and his band mates were not alone in their struggles with drugs at that time. The California music scene was awash in cocaine and heroin and talented musicians were dropping like flies before even reaching the age of 30. The Doors’ Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin all died in rapid succession the year before, the direct result of their overindulgence.
Fast Forward

While Santana more or less faded out of the mainstream in the 1980s and 1990s, he still continued to record and release CDs that his followers continued to buy. The band burst back into the limelight in 1999 with the release of Supernatural, Santana’s 36th album. The CD won a record-tying eight awards at the 42nd Annual Grammy® Awards—including Record of the Year, Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. Rob Thomas/Itaal Shur of Matchbox 20 also won the Song of the Year for penning Supernatural’s smash single “Smooth”.

The incredible feat tied Michael Jackson’s record for the most Grammys won by an artist in a single year. Jackson’s 1983 album Thriller also won eight awards in a single year. Santana followed this award-winning CD with Shaman, released in 2002. The CD won a Grammy® for the hit, The Game Of Love. Santana also has won three Latin Grammy Awards, and received the Latin Recording Academy’s “Person of the Year” award in 2004. His latest album, 2005’s All That I Am, continues his tradition of collaboration with other talented musicians. Almost five decades of performing in front of 100 million people worldwide. An amazing 90 million albums sold. Carlos Santana is not only rock royalty, he is the best ambassador for Latin music we could ever find.
Lost In Translation

It was a gas doing Abraxas. Abraxas had just come out and Chepito was going back to Nicaragua with an armful of albums. He had ‘em wrapped in brown paper. He gets on the plane, clutching this package. He didn’t speak English very well.The stewardess comes down the aisle; she sees him clutching this brown paper package. “Sir,” she says, “the package will have to go overhead in the compartment.” “No, iz alright. I hold it, I hold it!” says Chepito. “Sir, it’s regulations.” Chepito goes, “No, no, no, oh, it’s dynamite!!” So, the plane taxis around to an empty hangar. The FBI come on and pull him off. Bill Graham had to call them and explain what Chepito was trying to say—that it was a dynamite recording, that he wasn’t a hijacker, and they finally let him go.”
—Recording Engineer Fred Catero as quoted in Voices of Latin Rock by Jim McCarthy and Ron Sansoe

Tags: Carlos Santana, Jim McCarthy, Latino Future Magazine, Ronnie Sansoe

Here is a very brief bio about the authors of Voices of Latin Rock from the pages of authortree.

Jim McCarthy is founder and director of Good News for Catholics, Inc.

Ron Sansoe’s association with Latin rock began with his co-production of the Fort Mason show with MALO & TOWER OF POWER in 1985. He continues to administrate music publishing for a number of Bay Area’s musicians.

Tags: Jim McCarthy, Ronnie Sansoe

Hey here is a write up from the LATIN MUSICFEST website

Press release
“Voices of Latin Rock” Book VOICES OF LATIN ROCK MUSIC FROM THE STREETS
Until now the history of Santana and Latin rock has remained untold. Parallel with the late sixties San Franciscan “psychedelic” scene was an explosion of music, arts and culture from the Mission District area of that same City.
Santana spearheaded a cultural wave, which represented a totally new art form known as Latin Rock in which Latin based music was on everyone¹s record player. At one stage Santana were the biggest selling act in the world, outselling even The Beatles. Other Mission based acts such as Malo, Azteca, Dakila, Sapo, and Abel & the Prophets also emerged out of that first wave. It was this same talent pool, fed the ranks of Sly & The Family Stone, Graham Central Station, Tower of Power, Cold Blood and many others.
VOICES OF LATIN ROCK ­ MUSIC FROM THE STREETS, unfolds this Wild West Coast tale of early huge success, the young Latin musicians attempts to cope with this roller coaster, the impact on the emerging Latin cultural identity, framed within the turbulent backdrop of Latino and black political consciousness, as evidenced by The Black Panther, Brown Berets and United Farm Worker movements. Musicians also ran into trouble with the increasing availability of hard drugs in the US cities.
The music itself, with its myriad influences displayed the best that the USA had to offer. The Latino¹s love of soul and R&B; combined with ferocious and pungent Latin percussion sections, in which the full primal heat of this music was underpinned. The music, completely original in style and attack, had amongst its ranks, young gunslingers like Carlos Santana and Gregg Rolie, from Santana, plus their ace timbalero, the mighty Jose²Chepito²Areas. From Malo, Jorge Santana¹s electrifying guitar; was abetted by master Cuban conguero Francisco Aguabella. Azteca, featured the Escovedo Brothers, Coke and Pete (who went to work and develop the career of his daughter Sheila E) with the cream of the West Coast jazz fraternity on horns. Suffice it to say, this music was as tight and as hip as it comes.
VOICES OF LATIN ROCK ­ MUSIC FROM THE STREETS is an in-depth look at this phenomenon. Compiled from over 100 hours of interviews, including all the main players such as Carlos Santana, Mike Shrieve, Gregg Rolie, Jorge Santana, Herbie Herbert (who went on to mastermind the mega-success of Journey, CBS¹ biggest selling act in history.) and many others. These are combined with intensive and detailed photographic and archival research. Jim McCarthy, a well known writer and cartoonist in the UK and Ron Sansoe, with his many interests in music publishing, including Malo¹s back catalogue, have pulled together a tale of passion, excitement and an in-depth look at a musical form, hitherto unexamined.
Sugar Ray incorporated Malo’s “Suavecito”, and Latin evergreen and also had a Billboard Number 1 with “Every Morning”. The upsurge in ³Nu Latin soul² from the likes of Los Moscosos, Ozomatli and Los Jaguares, shows a further broadening and contemporary slant on Latin rock. With Carlos Santana currently enjoying a musical rebirth with the international success of Supernatural and Shaman. With the soar away hits, “Smooth”, “Maria, Maria” and “The Game of Love” under his belt. Carlos is not only as fresh musically today as ever before but represents a symbol of both grace and perseverance to the Latin peoples who continue to admire both him and this musical form.
VOICES OF LATIN ROCK ­ MUSIC FROM THE STREETS
Voices of Latin Rock: The People and Events that Shaped the Sound Written by Jim McCarthy with Ron Sansoe and a foreword by Carlos Santana, is a dazzling documentation of modern American music history. In the late 1960s and 1970s, groups such as Santana and Malo along with a cast of characters roared out of San Francisco¹s Mission District barrio with a hot sound that gave birth to a new music synergy known as Latin rock.
McCarthy started developing this unique tome many years ago. Voices of Latin Rock reveals his path of more than 30 years following the explosive era of Latin rock music. After meeting music publisher Ron Sansoe at a Malo rehearsal in 1999, they began this historic musical journey. Interviewing not only the musicians and the cast of characters around them but also interviewing influential people in the recording industry and social an political groups who were all a part of the rise of this musical and cultural revolution, including the United Farm Workers union, the Black Panther party.
In the book, readers will discover the San Francisco Mission District scene of the 1960s and 1970s and the explosion of Latin, salsa and rock music. In addition, it includes more than 800 black-and-white and color photographs, artwork of dozens of rare album covers and other archival materials that have never been seen before.
“I’m grateful this book was written, because it’s a chance to take us back and bring us forward. If our history can challenge the next wave of musicians to keep moving and changing, to keep spiritually hungry and horny, that’s what it’s about.” Carlos Santana

Jim McCarthy and Ron Sansoe as well as a list of musicians are available for interviews and book signings.

If you have any questions or would like to set up book signings or interview please feel free to call Ron Sansoe at 415.431.6754 or email to ronsansoe@sbcglobal.net

Tags: Jim McCarthy, Ronnie Sansoe

Directly from the Mission District in San Francisco, the explosive fusion of Latin, salsa and rock is chronicled from a writer who has followed the music and the musicians for over 30 years. The book covers the stories of prominent Latin rock bands including Santana and Malo, examining in detail the pioneering records and the ways in which both reflect a wide spectrum of Latin influences. It highlights the cast of characters and emerging period in the US during the late ’60s, with all the cultural background events including the Summer of Love, Woodstock, political activism, and the record label expansion. Legendary figures such as Bill Graham, Clive Davis and the Escovedos family play crucial roles in the development of this sound. As Latin music continues to become more mainstream, the interest in its musical roots grows. This book sheds light on these musical pioneers, and is gorgeously illustrated with over 800 BandW photos by Jim Marshall, Rudy Rodgriguez, Joan Chase and others, plus artwork of dozens of rare album covers.
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More details
Voices of Latin Rock: People and Events that Created this Sound
By Jim McCarthy, Ron Sansoe
Contributor Ron Sansoe
Published by Hal Leonard Corporation, 2004
ISBN 063408061X

Tags: Carlos Santana, Jim McCarthy, Mission District, Ronnie Sansoe, Santana

Napa Valley Register Wednesday, August 27, 2008

It began as a movement, born out of San Francisco’s barrio in the 1960s and ’70s. It evolved into a style, then a revolution and finally a musical genre of its own: Latin Rock.
Saturday, an all-star cast of artists who participated in the birth of the movement take the stage at Lincoln Theater Napa Valley for a one-night, special performance of “Voices of Latin Rock.”
The show was inspired by Jim McCarthy’s book of the same title, which traces the people and events that created the sound. According to producer Jeff Trager, “The book is the story of the birth of Latin Rock music as it became known in the 1960s and 1970s with groups like Santana, Malo, Azteca and Sapo.”
In the foreword, Carlos Santana writes, “I’m grateful this book was written, because it’s a chance to take us back and bring us forward. If our history can challenge the next wave of musicians to keep moving and changing, to keep spiritually hungry and horny, that’s what it’s all about.”
The artists performing Saturday have been part of Latin Rock groups such as Santana, Malo, Azteca, War, Tower of Power and Sly & The Family Stone.
“Basically, Latin Rock was born in the Bay Area out of the Mission District in San Francisco,” Trager said. “There was Richie Valens before that but the Latin Rock sound exploded out in the late ’60s with Santana and their performance at Woodstock. They went there as the only unsigned band onstage, and when they finished playing they were world famous.”
Santana’s success was followed by Malo — whose founding members included Jorge Santana, Arcelio Garcia and Richard Bean who will all perform in Yountville — and their 1972 Top Ten Hit “Suavecito” which became a Latin Rock anthem.
At least 20 artists will play on Saturday night including Jorge Santana, brother of Carlos Santana; Arcelio Garcia and Richard Bean, who wrote “Suavecito;” Tony Lindsay from Santana; Greg Errico, who performed with Sly & The Family Stone, Santana and the Grateful Dead; and Abel Sanchez from Abel and the Prophets.
Carlos Reyes will be the opening act. A harpist and violinist who plays in Latin and jazz styles, he currently plays with Steve Miller and had performed for four U.S. presidents and a pope.
Trager, who grew up in San Francisco with many of the artists in the show, produces the “Voices of Latin Rock” to benefit autism at Bimbo’s in San Francisco each January. The popularity of that event, which has raised thousands of dollars for autism awareness, was the catalyst for taking the show on the road.

Tags: Abel Sanchez, Benefit for Autism Awareness, Jeff Trager, Jim McCarthy, Jorge Santana, Richie Valens, Ronnie Sansoe