I was recently corrected by a local old school head to not call these things “Tejano” but “Chicano” 45s. Well, whatever you wanna call ‘em, I scanned and recorded a few and here they are:
Big Man & the Night People (Mex Melody)
Hailing from the Big D, Big Man and Co are one of many obscure outfits to attempt to make their mark on the 1960s Chicano soul scene. Before this release, it is alleged that Big Man had involvement with an early incarnation of Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs (of “Wooly Bully” fame) who also originated from the DFW area. I know of one other release from the Man, a lo-fi cover of Ben E King’s “Stand by Me” on the local Pharaohs label which soul and funk fans may find a little sleepy. “Creeper” on the contrary is the group at their best laying down an energetic Sunny & the Sunliners-style soul instrumental. And like all good funky instrumentals should, they remember to pay their proper respects to the Godfather of Soul by giving the drummer some. The filp side, also an English tune, is a slow and painfully out-of-key blues number.
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The Blue Knights – No No (Estrella)
These guys may not overwhelm in terms of musical ability but they definitely do astound if you care to factor in oddball, off-the-map unGooglability (It’s a record collector thing which may or may not apply to you). We know they’re from Austin, had a limited budget, and by the sound of things, probably owned a couple Sunny Ozuna records. But in place of Sunny’s sophisticated horn section, all these guys could muster up was a lone trumpet. I think it’s for the best, giving the track an almost a surf-y vibe. And how bout that tinny, rigid little drum break? Pure class! I mean you know, unpolished and imperfect but nonetheless still endearing and classy!
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The Rondels – Love Bones (Capri)
Full disclosure: I don’t think I’ve ever heard the original Johnnie Taylor version of this song. I even made it my personal goal to Youtube it for research reasons before writing this but in typical form, I blew it. I just forgot. I dropped the ball. But we’ll move on. Capri, the famed Tex Mex label (famed in some circles anyway) out of Dallas, issued many great Chicano soul records. And while this particular Capri is no Sal De Leon “In a Moment” or Neto Perez “TCB of CYA,” it is a highly entertaining nod to late 60s funky soul by a band who is better known to bang out traditonal Mexican rancheras. Dig the back up vocals. What is that, like two dudes? Regardless, those rickety falsettos just give the track added charm. Other discs to look out for from this band are the super smooth Delfonics cover “La La Te Amo” and the funky, uptempo TSU Toronadoes cover “Get in the Corners.”
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Sherman Evans with Cruz Ortiz and the Flames – The Craze (Manco)
The Fort Worth garage bands of the 1960s have been well documented for years now but rarely do you hear anything mentioned of their soulful counterparts. So meet Sherm and Cruz, a couple of Cow Towners I just became acquainted with a few months back (and recently became a proud owner just a few days back – Thanks, Wilson). A little Googling reveals they have a couple other releases on the same Fort Worth-based label which I definitely have not heard and as of a few seconds ago had not heard of. Well there you have it, another completely uninformed review from the clueless Rehash Editorial Staff. But, hell, if you’ve ever been to rehashmedia.com over the course of the last decade you’ve probably come to expect nothing less from us. You’re welcome.
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The Modulation Corporation – What to Do (Atom)
Here’s where the Chicano soul train comes to a screeching halt as this is a garage 45 from a band that may or may not even contain a single Mexican American. But, it is on Atom, the rock subsidiary of Rosina Records (out of San Marcos, Texas) which is the bonafide Chicano label that released a myriad of 45s by groups Like Gilbert and the Blue Notes and the Broken Hearts. So call it a stretch but I just had to give this snotty, little Kenny & the Kasuals-esque rocker a little exposure. Thanks to J. Silva in the ‘Cliff for bringing this obscurity to my attention (and my record collection).
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Blue Knights is AMAZING.
Dig that organ on “Night Creeper”–definitely à la Sunny/Key-loc. That tom drum needs a little “umph,” but pretty solid choon!