Jerry López: Doing Santa Fe Proud
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Jerry López: Doing Santa Fe Proud By Ana Pacheco Santa Fe virtuoso Jerry López. Photos courtesy the López family. Jerry Lopéz’ grandfather, Nicolás Escajeda, in 1932, at his loom at Gans Store on the Santa Fe Plaza. ots of people have cashed in on the ambitious father, Gilbert López Sr., had his first for his secular and religious versos, cánticos y use of the name of Santa Fe, America’s two children, Gilbert and Jerry, performing poesías. Don Pablo was a featured poet in the old oldest city, to sell everything from professionally before they were old enough to Spanish-colonial style El Nuevo Mexicano, the L soap to cars. Fortunately, native son attend elementary school. last Spanish language newspaper in the Jerry López has done it with pizzazz. His If you’ve ever wondered what became of the Southwest (“La Prensa de Ayer,” La Herencia, production company, Santa Fe Records, and López Brothers and you just happen to be in Las Volume 9, 1996). He was born in 1860 and died his professional musical ensemble, Santa Fe & Vegas, Nev., you can ask anyone, even the taxi in 1932. Keeping the Spanish traditions of her the Fat City Horns, do the Southwest’s crown drivers. Since they left Santa Fe in the mid- father alive, Maida wrote poetry and composed jewel proud. 1970s, the López brothers have established songs and hymns that are still used in churches Jerry and his family have a history tied to the themselves as leading performers in Las Vegas. in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico. She city. His grandmother Magdalena Griego Vigil At the behest of Nick Escajeda Jr., who is a loyal composed the beautiful tribute to La wrote the song used each year for the annual subscriber to La Herencia and the López Conquistadora that is sung each year on the celebration of the founding of Santa Fe: “¡Que Brother’s uncle, I flew to Las Vegas in February annual pilgrimage of Santa Fe’s revered Viva la Fiesta!” The photo of Jerry’s grandfather to see Jerry López, 50, perform in the “Clint Madonna from Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis Nicolás Escajeda, at his loom at Gans Store on Holmes Show” at Harrah’s Casino on the of Assisi to Rosario Chapel. Maida even wrote a the Santa Fe Plaza in 1932, graces the cover of famous Las Vegas Strip. humorous song during the Depression, when Volume 50 of La Herencia. Meeting Jerry for the first time reminded me of rationing was mandatory, called “Racionaron la Anyone who was in Santa Fe in the 1960s just how small Santa Fe will always be despite Manteca.” remembers the López Brothers. They were the changes that have occurred in the last 30 Maida was married to Nicolás Escajeda. regular performers, along with Genoveva years. It turns out that Jerry and I hung out with This shy, humble Mexican known throughout Chávez and Alan Muñiz. They performed for the same gang of Santa Fe Mid-High School Santa Fe as a noble gentleman was a singer every Fiesta de Santa Fe, political rallies and hellions who terrorized the Plaza merchants back and weaver. Nicolás was born in Acensión, in other community events. Their innovative and in 1970. Although we didn’t remember each the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Finding it other, we knew a lot of the same hard to pursue a musical career in the village people. Going back another decade, of his birth, he headed for la frontera. His first SPONSORED BY: to the 1960s, I found out that his stop was Columbus, N.M., where Pancho Villa grandmother, Magdalena “Maida” and his renegades gave this town its place in Griego Vigil, was a regular at my history. Villa raided this sleepy little pueblo in uncle Henry and my aunt María 1916 and quickly proceeded to set up a García’s weekly Sunday-night poker command post he used for next four years. He game on Pacheco Street. I was stayed in Columbus until the arrival of Gen. utterly dumbfounded to learn this “Black Jack” Pershing, who pursued him to no sweet little old lady was also a well- avail through the mountains of Chihuahua, known poet and composer. where Villa received aid and shelter from his Maida had followed in the supporters. The frustrated general reported musical footsteps of her father, back to his superiors, “Pancho Villa is Pablo Griego Sr., who was famous everywhere and he is nowhere!” 34 La Herencia / Summer 2006 Jerry and Gilbert López performing in 1958. Jerry and Gilbert López on the Santa Fe Plaza in 1963. Joanie and brother Lenny López performing at the Santa Fe Fiesta. Alan Muñiz and Jerry López performing at the World’s Fair in Japan in 1970. Jerry, Gilbert and Lenny López performing at La Fonda, in Santa Fe, N.M., 1972. Don Nicolás found his way to Santa Fe in 1922, where he married the beautiful Maida, from one of Santa Fe’s old Spanish families. That their A recent photo of Jerry’s mother, Margaret Griego López. paths should cross is no surprise since Maida’s father, Pablo, performed regularly with Los folk melody. As he bent over his Villeros Alegre, the leading musical weaving frame, he turned to me and ensemble of its era. The couple had two asked: ‘Did you hear me sing last night? children, Nicolás Jr. and Margaret, who I won the prize in the audition. Now I is Jerry’s mother. In addition to singing go to Las Cruces to the state contest— as a soloist in the St. Francis Cathedral maybe I will win again—then I go to Choir the singer participated in regional Chicago!’ Nicolás turned back to the music competitions. To the delight of loom and began to hum the song again, customers and tourists alike, Nicolás one of those enraptured love songs that sang the old tunes of Mexico at his he had heard since childhood.” loom. He was featured in the book Jerry grew up in a humble abode on Caballeros: The Romance of Santa Fe and Kathryn Street, off of Agua Fría. He the Southwest by Ruth Laughlin Barker, attended St. Anne’s parochial school, Promoter and composer Gilbert López Sr. putting his dukes up ready who reported the following anecdote: Alvord and Salazar elementary schools for action in 1974 with his musical group Los Hermanos López. “In Santa Fe I was watching the young and Santa Fe High and St. Michael’s weaver from Old Mexico who sang a high schools. By the time he was 12, he Summer 2006 / La Herencia 35 Jerry López performing at Madison Square Gilbert López backstage with Ricky Martin and Jerry López. Jerry López currently performs with Clint Garden in New York during the “Livin’ La Holmes at Harrah’s Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Vida Loca Tour” in 2000. Albuquerque singer Diane Ulibarrí, aka Diane Díaz, with Luis Miguel and Jerry López performs with his band Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns every Lenny López. Monday at the Boulder Street Station in Las Vegas, Nev. and his brother Gilbert had recorded 15 quickly became part of the Las Vegas late night provides a showcase for people looking for top Mariachi records. The duo performed in early scene, where other musicians and entertainers musicians to take on the road. Jerry acts as point 1970s as strolling troubadours with the late would stop in to see them perform. The band man for the music industry in Las Vegas and west flamenco artist Vicente Romero at his club, added more musicians and began to play all coast cities, lining up musicians for different road Zambra. Performing first as the López Brothers types of music, from pop to rock to Latin jazz- shows—when he’s not on the road himself. and later in a larger group that also included his fusion. Today, Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns In 2000 Jerry went around the world as part younger brother Lenny, Gilbert López Sr. had consists of 14 professional musicians who of an ensemble that consisted of 100 people in renamed the group Los Hermanos López. The perform with Las Vegas’ biggest entertainers. the “Livin’ la Vida Loca” Tour. He was Ricky band played at local clubs like the Mariposa and You can catch their show every Monday night at Martin’s lead guitarist and sideman. He also Johnny Vigil’s Pussycat Lounge. But Los 10 p.m. at the Boulder Street Station. performed with Ricky Martin on the Today Show Hermanos López had outgrown Santa Fe. Santa Fe & the Fat City horns is a mix of all and at Madison Square Garden. It was an “We were tired of playing rancheras, norteño types of musical influences, with tributes to incredible opportunity for him; the only and TexMex music. We wanted to break into musical heroes. “It’s the one night where drawback was being away from his wife, Sari, pop music,” Jerry explains. So in 1975 the whole musicians can play to their heart’s content the and their five children, whose ages range from 8 family piled all their belongings into an old type of music that you couldn’t get away with in to 20. Oh yeah, they also wanted a punk rock school bus and headed for Las Vegas. “People a lounge, showroom or another commercial gig. look for the band, so he had to die his hair a thought we were crazy, but we took a chance. The show is completely live so there are mistakes, blondish white.