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Trail of Tejano Legends Biographies

(Note: The letters shown next to the name of the artist correspond to the letters displayed on the map.)

(A) The Grand Plaza at the Mexican American Cultural Center has been named in honor of the PEREZ & RAMOS FAMILIES

The Perez – Ramos Families have a long musical tradition that stretches back several generations. The two families are connected by brothers Don Louis Perez and Don Tranquilino Perez. Don Louis Perez and his wife Trinidad are the parents of Elvira Perez who is the mother of Ruben Ramos and Alfonso Ramos. Don Tranquilino Perez and his wife Carolina are the parents of Blas Parez who is the father of Ernest Perez and Ruben Perez.

Ruben Ramos, Alfonso Ramos, Ruben Perez and Ernest Perez have all led their own Tejano orchestras. Ruben and Alfonso have often performed and recorded together. Many of Ruben and Alfonso’s brothers were and continue to be members of their musical groups. In recognition of their accomplishment, Ruben Ramos and Alfonso Ramos have both been inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame. As a member of Los Super Seven, Ruben Ramos is a grammy award winner.

Accomplished local musicians such as Alfonso Ramos and Manuel “Cowboy” Donley played with the Ruben Perez Orchestra early in their careers. In addition to leading his own orchestra, Ernest played in his brother’s orchestra for many years as well as other local groups such as Johnny Degollado and Los Cinco Reyes.

(B) Festival Beach Road has been named in honor of NASH HERNANDEZ

The Nash Hernandez Orchestra, Austin’s longest running big band, has been playing big band, swing and Latino styles of music for generations of fans throughout Central Texas. Nash Hernandez fell in love with the big band style while in the Army during World War II. When he returned to Austin, he worked with Matt Velasquez before starting his own band in 1949. In 1975, Nash Hernandez was named Ambassador of Goodwill by Governor Dolph Brisco for whom he had performed in 1973 at the Governor’s Inaugural Ball. He was also recognized for his musical contributions by the City of Austin in 1975 and 1993, by the Texas Senate in 1993 and by Vice President Al Gore in 1994. Nash Hernandez passed away on June 26, 1994, but the band continues to perform under the direction of Nash’s son, drummer Ruben Hernandez, who began playing with the group at the age of eleven.

Johnny Degollado is the premier conjunto accordionist, band leader, and song writer in Austin and the surrounding areas. In 1952, at the age of 15, he started his own conjunto along with his neighbor, Vicente Alonzo, who still is a member of the conjunto. Johnny studied under Camilo Cantu, another important conjunto band leader from the Austin area. Cantu also taught Johnny to tune and repair accordions. Johnny has composed more than 200 songs, and he is the event coordinator for the Austin Conjunto Festival that has been held in May for the last 20 years. He was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame in 1986.

(D) Dedicated a small neighborhood park adjacent to the Holly Power Plant in honor of MANUEL “COWBOY” DONLEY and his brother ROBERT DONLEY.

Manuel Donley is considered a pioneer of Tejano music. An accomplished musician, arranger and composer, Manuel Donley is well respected by his musical peers. In addition to fronting a Tejano orquesta, he also performs in traditional “Trio” and “Mariachi” ensembles. Manuel Donley has also composed and performed for movie soundtracks. He has taught guitar lessons at Huston-Tillotson College and still gives lessons at his home. His orquesta, Las Estrellas, is famous for its tight horn section as well as for the many different styles of music they played such as boleros, rancheras, polkas, rock-n-roll, rhythm-and-blues, big band-swing, etc. Manuel Donley formed his orquesta in 1949 and continues to perform with them today.

Robert Donley is also a musician. He played with Manuel Donley’s orchestra and other music groups. Robert was very actively involved in the campaign to shut-down the Holly Power Plant. The park named in honor of Manuel and Robert Donley is adjacent to the Holly Power Plant and since the power plant is scheduled to be shut-down by the end of September 2007, it is fitting to recognize the efforts of Robert to improve the quality of life of the East Austin neighborhoods surrounding the power plant.

(E) The Scenic Overlook located near the intersection of Canterbury Street and Pleasant Valley was named in honor of ROY MONTELONGO

Roy Montelongo is an original Tejano legend who started playing in his teens with the legendary orquesta of Beto Villa. He then went on to play with the orquestas of Isidro Lopez and Alfonso Ramos before forming his own band. One of his first picks for a sideman was Agustine Ramirez. Roy Montelongo recorded many hits and toured nationally. His unique singing style and his accomplishments as a saxophonist and arranger brought him much acclaim. Roy Montelongo recorded over 20 albums and was selected to be an original member of “The Legends” of Tejano music along with the likes of Freddie Martinez and Sunny Ozuna. Eventually, he settled on broadcasting as a career and for many years was heard on the Austin airwaves.

(F) Established a small neighborhood park/plaza in the abandoned the Median Street right-of-way between E. 5th St. and E. 6th St. and named the park/plaza in honor of MATT VELASQUEZ and his brother ROY VELASQUEZ.

Matt Velasquez’ Latinaires, that pre-dated Little Joe’s Latinaire’s by several years, performed from approximately 1946 to 1959. Vocalist-guitarist Matt Velasquez was a member of several ballroom bands including “Big Poppa’s Band,” the group with which he started playing when he was 14 years old. After returning from the service in 1946, he formed his own band, playing sorority parties, debutante balls and major parties. He also donated services to all Catholic churches. Matt Velasquez and his band played for the grand opening of Palmer Auditorium in 1959. He worked with Eduardo Martinez and Emilio Caceres. His brother, James Velasquez, played drums.

Roy Velasquez is an important local Hispanic businessman and community leader. He established Roy’s Taxi in 1931 at the age of 21 when construction jobs dried up in the years following the great depression. He started the business with one car and within a year had 35 cars working for him on a contract basis. Roy was active in political circles since his early years in business. He sold the poll tax to help minorities gain a voice in government. He also was active in supporting many political candidates and was a friend of leaders such as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Mayor Tom Miller, City Council Member Emma Long, Judge Homer Thornberry, and Congressman Jake Pickle. In 1935, Roy was co-founder of the Austin Chapter of LULAC, Council 85 and was one of the charter members of the Austin Citizen’s League which was organized in the mid-1960’s.

(G) Cepeda Music Garden

Austin as Live Music Capitol of the World As the self-proclaimed ìLive Music Capitol of the World,î there is no question that music is a defining element of Austinís culture. Music is everywhere in Austin ñ on almost any given weekday or weekend night, music lovers in Austin can select from literally dozens of live shows that they could attend covering the full spectrum of musical genres. City govern- ment recognizes the role of music in Austin in a variety of ways, including providing music by local artists at the airport, funding a cable access channel devoted entirely to local music, and administering a loan program specifically for the music industry. Music and the arts have become a major element in tourism...The arts have become a critical element in overall economic planning and are increasingly touted by those seeking to recruit and retain firms in Austin. (excerpt from ìThe Role of Music in the Austin Economy, î a report prepared by Texas Perspectives for the City of Austin.)

East Austin’s Rich Musical Legacy: There are many notable people and places associated with Austin’s music scene, many who lived and/or performed on the East side of town. People like Alfred Johnson, James Cotton, TD Bell, Ruben & Alfonso Ramos, Roy Montelongo and Agustine Ramirez were/are recognized inside and outside of Austin and, in some instances, have received very prestigious awards. Places like the Victory Grill, Charlie’s Playhouse, the Skyline Club and the Avalon Club are similarly important because they hosted these local music legends as well as other legendary artists that toured the county. There is a great need to recognize and preserve East Austin’s musical legacy, because we are quickly losing this incredible knowledge about our Community’s past. We are blessed that local arts organizations such as Diverse Arts, Victory Grill Entertainment, the Tejano Artists Music Museum, and the Austin Latino Music Association have begun to call attention to the importance of these people and places.

A Public Art Project to Honor East Side Music Legends: The open space near the entryway of Eustacio Cepeda Library presents a great opportunity to recognize East Austinís rich musical legacy through a public art project. Such a project could not only serve the purpose of recognizing important members of the community but also of improving the aesthetic appeal of the entryway and fencing surrounding the library. By honoring East Austin musicians at Cepeda, we can finally give these individuals the recognition they deserve. Another exciting aspect of this proposal is that it provides an opportunity to honor both African-American and Latino artists. This cross-cultural aspect of the proposal is important because East Seventh Street has always been a significant corridor for both communities. This project presents a unique opportunity to celebrate history as we work to preserve it and to build unity between the African- American and Latino communities.

Long Term Vision of the Project: The long term vision for this project is that we not only honor the musicians for their help in making Austin the Live Music Capitol of the World, but that we also work with the musicians and their families to preserve the archives of these important figures in Austinís history. If we are able to do this at the Cepeda Library site, it may also be possible to have exhibits and holdings at the library that relate back to the individuals that are being recognized through this project.

Next Steps: Although some funding for this project is already available from the Cityís E. 7th St. Corridor Project, we anticipate that a great deal of funding will be raised from private contributions. To facilitate the process of managing funds raised in support of this project, the Library Foundation has agreed to serve as the fiscal sponsor for this project. Once the project is in design and construction phase a Selection Committee will be appointed and will establish a process for selecting the artists to be honored in the music garden and, upon the completion of a public input process, making the final selection regarding the artists to be honored in the inaugural ceremonies for the music garden. We anticipate that an annual induction ceremony will be held following the inaugural ceremony.