Hispanic Heritage Celebration with Little Joe y La Familia feat. Latin Express

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Hispanic Heritage Celebration in partnership with the Arlington Latino Advisory Council

5:00 PM – Salsa At The Gardens

5:50 PM – Sam Houston Folklorico

7:00 PM – Latin Express

I began my musical career in 1968 as a drummer in my Dad’s band NICHO SAENZ Y Los Alegres Del Norte. My very first gig was “New Year’s Eve” at “The Bridgeport Ballroom” in Dallas,Tx. I was 12 years old and had no business playing drums that night but my Dad said to me that afternoon: “Hey the other jackass I have playing drums can’t play either!”……..So I Guess That Was A Compliment So I Ran With It? 55 years later! I’m still playing music on stage with my band The Latin Express who I started in 1975! Who would’ve thought? Not me!

The music that I liked and listened to in 1968 was The Beatles, Mowtown, Sunny Ozuna and a new guy named Carlos Santana! Man when I heard “Oye Como Va” played by Santana I got hooked on music! I knew then that music would be part of my life forever! I played Conjunto music with my Dad for about 6 to 8 years! Played all the local dives but never got to play the music that I liked!

In the Fall of 1974 I got into the Chicano movement and became the Vice President of the North Side High School Spanish Club! We wanted to take the Spanish Club members to Six Flags in the Spring of 75, but it was going to cost a whole lot of money that we didn’t have! Some one mentioned a taco bake sale! I said, “Do you know how many taco we are going to have to make and sell to get enough money to take the club and the chaperones?” A lot!!!!! So I came up with the idea of a musical concert! Ticket price: 50 cents to get in at the school auditorium during second period! That Winter of Januaray 75 I formed The Latin Express and raised $800.00 for our Club! $800.00 in 1975 was a lot of dinero back then! We had enough money to pay for the tickets to Six Flags, buy everyone T-Shirts & food and still had money left over to give to the next year’s Spanish Club!

In 1980 I added my brother Leo who at the time was 14 years old and attending Trimble Tech High School. I wanted to get out of playing the dives but no one would give us a break! But one day Trimble Tech High gave us that first break!!!! They asked us to play their “Sadie Hawkins Day Dance” in the Tech gym! I agreed and the rest is history!!!! Thank You Trimble Tech Bulldogs for believing in us! This past New Years Eve The Latin Express celebrated 48 years in the Tejano Music Industry!

In January 2001, The Latin Express performed for George W. Bush’s Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. Throughout the years the Latin Express has won numerous awards varying from: “The Fort Worth Weekly Award” / “The Fort Worth Star Telegram Best of Tarrant Award 2003 / “The Dallas Morning News Observer Award” / “The Hispanic Heritage Award” / “The Hispanic Salute 2000 Award” / “The Little Joe y La Familia Life Time Achievement Award” to name just a few.

On November the 15th 2008 The Latin Express were inducted to “The Tejano Roots Hall Of Fame Class Of 2008” in Alice,Tx. The first and only North Texas band to ever be inducted to the prestigious Club!

We want to give thanks to all of our fans across the United States. Thank you for making us feel so welcomed when we are on the road. Last but not least, we want to thank our Lord for the many blessings he has bestowed upon us. We pray that he brings peace to the world. God bless our service men and women all around the world fighting for our freedom! Bring them home safe.

*PASSION KEEPS THE MUSIC REAL*

8:30PM – Little Joe y La Familia

FIVE TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER – LITTLE JOE & LA FAMILIA.

Little Joe Hernandez is the leader of Little Joe y La Familia, one of the most popular Tex-Mex bands in the music industry. Described as the “King of the Brown Sound,” Little Joe helped to pioneer Tejano music, a mix of traditional norteño music and country, blues, and rock styles.

Jose “Little Joe” Maria De Leon Hernandez was born to Salvador “La Cotorra” Hernandez and Amelia De Leon Hernandez in a one-room dirt floor shack in Temple, Texas on October 17, 1940. He was the seventh child of thirteen. In 1953, while working as a young migrant worker in the cotton fields of Texas, Joeʼs cousin, David Coronado, the front man for the band “David Coronado & The Latinaires,” recruited Joe on guitar, Cino Moreno on drums and Tony Matamoros on saxophone. It wouldnʼt be until 1955 that Joe would finally play his first “paying” performance in Cameron, Texas for $5.00 at a high school sock hop. He realized that picking guitar beat picking cotton and he could actually get paid for it.

Joeʼs recording debut as a guitarist for Terrero Records in Corpus Christi came in 1958 on an instrumental, “Safari Part I & II” which was composed by all members of the Latinaires. David Coronado left the band in 1959, which gave Joe the opportunity to take over the band, renaming it “Little Joe & The Latinaires.” At the same time, Joeʼs younger brother Jesse Hernandez, who was a bassist, singer and songwriter, joined the band. Sadly in 1964 Jesse was killed in an automobile accident. Joe made a vow at Jesseʼs graveside to carry their music to the top, not realizing how high his music would take him, how it would open many doors for other artists, and how it would set many new musical trends.

In the later years of the 60ʼs Joe continued to move forward in his musical quest. He signed with Texas based independent record companies. His first record deal was with Corona Records in San Antonio, followed by Valmon Records in Austin and later Zarape Records in Dallas. Joe decided to venture into his own independent company in 1968, “Buena Suerte Records” for his Spanish recordings and “Good Luck Records” for his English recordings. Also owned by Joe, Leona Records, a record label with distribution by Freddie Records in Corpus Christi, allowed Joe to stay independent throughout the 70ʼs and early 80ʼs.

In 1970, after playing and spending much of his time in San Francisco and the Bay Area, Joe discovered “Latinismo,” a strong Latin musical world which was not found in Texas at that time. It had a profound change in his music and cultural values, prompting him to change the name of the band from The Latinaires to La Familia, emphasizing Joeʼs passion for his heritage and roots.

Little Joe has been nominated for eleven GRAMMY Awards and has received five GRAMMY Awards. His first GRAMMY came in 1991 for Best Mexican-American album, “Diez y Seis de Septiembre.” He received the GRAMMY Award for Best Tejano Album in 2005 for “Chicanisimo,” in 2007 for “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” and in 2010 for “Recuerdos.” “Recuerdos” received a Latin GRAMMY Award for best Tejano Album in 2011.

Little Joe y La Familia received additional GRAMMY Award nominations in 1988 for “Timeless,” in 1993 for “Que Paso,” in 1999 for “Little Joe & La Familia 2000,” and in 2003 for “Celebration of Life, Volume I.” They were nominated for Latin GRAMMY Awards in 2004 for “Celebration of Life, Volume II,” and in 2005 for “Chicanisimo.” In 1996, Joe appeared on the 1997 GRAMMY-nominated album, “Frank Yanchovich & Friends, Songs of the Polka King, Vol. 1” in which he performed a duet with Frank Yanchovich on the song “Just Because/Si Porque.”

Over sixty years and many albums after his start as a musician, Joe continues touring the world, trailblazing, looking forward to new challenges, breaking down cultural and musical barriers, and innovating his musical style. As always, Joe strives to bring people together to make a more peaceful and harmonious world.

Categories: Downtown Outdoors / Entertainment / FREE / Music