[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 18 (Tuesday, February 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E155]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMMENDING MR. EDUARDO ``LALO'' GUERRERO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2006

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on Arizona's 94th birthday to 
commend one of Arizona's most talented sons, Mr. Eduardo ``Lalo'' 
Guerrero, ``the Father of Chicano Music.''
  From the beginning of his career when his first group, Los Carlistas, 
represented Arizona at the New York World's Fair of 1939 until his 
death last March, Lalo Guerrero symbolized the best of American and 
Latino culture. Born December 24, 1916 in Barrio Viejo, the oldest 
neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, Mr. Guerrero sang songs that spoke 
directly to the Chicano people of the southwest throughout the course 
of his 60-year career.
  The child of immigrants, Mr. Guerrero attributed his musical talent 
to his mother Concepcion, who taught him to play the guitar. He has 
been quoted modestly, ``I only wrote and sang about what I was.'' By 
doing so, Mr. Guerrero became a voice for people who rarely were shown 
in mainstream culture, a fact he sang about in his famous song ``No 
Chicanos on TV.''
  No other Chicano artist has come close to writing and recording more 
great songs in virtually every genre of Latin music, including salsa, 
nortena, banda, rancheras, boleros, corridos, cumbias, mambos, cha 
chas, socially relevant songs, swing, rock & roll and blues. In 
addition to being a world-class singer, he also created children's 
music, comedy songs and parodies.
  Mr. Guerrero stood beside other great leaders in the community, among 
them Cesar E. Chavez and Ruben Salazar, writing corridos about the 
struggles and importance of social protest. Celebrating his bicultural 
roots, the music pioneer and activist was the first to record bilingual 
songs, becoming a symbol of hope and strength to his people.
  Mr. Guerrero is credited by such artists as Carlos Santana, Linda 
Ronstadt, and Los Lobos for opening the door for Latino musicians.
  In 1996, Mr. Guerrero was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by 
President and Mrs. Clinton. In 1980, the Smithsonian Institution 
declared him a ``National Folk Treasure'' and he received a National 
Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1991.
  Mr. Guerrero was inducted into the Tejano Hall of Fame and was 
honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Mexican Cultural 
Institute representing the Mexican Government, Luis Valdez's The Teatro 
Campesino and Ricardo Montalban's Nosotros Organization among other 
prestigious groups. Los Angeles and his adopted home of Palm Springs, 
California have declared ``Lalo Guerrero Day'' in those cities and 
proclamations have been awarded from numerous other cities and 
organizations.
  Mr. Guerrero is an American original. He is a son of this Nation, a 
Nation of diverse people, cultures and music. Lalo Guerrero exemplifies 
the richness of our country and the hope of all people. His story is a 
gift to us all.

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