The band’s founding member reflects on growing up Chicano & being an artist.

by Catalina Maria Johnson
From: Billboard

About 40 years ago, four musicians in a high school rock band decided to learn the Mexican standard “Las Mañanitas” to regale one of the band member’s moms on her birthday. Daunted by how difficult that proved to be — they had underestimated the complexity of their musical culture — the young East LA born-and-bred Chicanos decided to frame their Mexican roots music in rock ‘n’ roll and R&B grooves. And so, the iconic, multi-Grammy-winning band Los Lobos was born.

At the core of many of Los Lobos’ magical songs are the lyrics created by founding member, songwriter, percussionist and guitarist Louie Pérez, also an innovative visual artist. Many of those songs, along with previously unpublished poems and short stories as well as paintings, sketches and photos, are collected in a uniquely curated memoir, Good Morning, Aztlán, published by Tía Chucha Press late last year. A companion double-CD for the memoir with versions of Pérez’s songs and poems, Joy Ride, is also available.

Chatting on the phone from Chicago while on tour with Los Lobos, Perez describes how the visual art and the music paths of his life developed practically in unison. An introverted child, he retreated “into his head” at 8 years old when he lost his father suddenly and delved into reading and drawing. Throughout his childhood, he also remembers being immersed in the traditional Mexican music his mother enjoyed and even recalls seeing icon Miguel Aceves Mejía live in concert, at a venue where the artist came out onstage on horseback decked in silver ornamentation.

At about 11 years old, Pérez taught himself to play on a guitar his mom had bought for him. Just a few years later, he discovered Jimi Hendrix and saw him play at the Hollywood Bowl, at which point, Pérez exclaims, “Every brain cell in my head was rearranged!” He devoted himself to rock ‘n’ roll. Read Rest of Article Here