Igniting a Musical Revolution

 

Los Rondels: Laredo’s Original Tejano Recording Artists

In his memoir, the author, Humberto Gonzalez vividly explains each and every detail of his youthful era where amidst a backdrop of several incidents, How the emergence of Tejano music was shaped, and how Rondels became pioneers along with others of the emerging genre in the 60’s. This book, Los Rondels: Laredo’s Original Tejano Recording Artists is the perfect depiction of the formation, and the emergence of this band that helped shape a whole generation of musical influence in the country.

The book is set in the 60’s where there was a lot going on in the State of Texas, specifically the city of Laredo. The people of the city were enjoying a newfound sense of freedom amidst a civil rights movement, and the Vietnam war. The war had directly or indirectly effected the lives of many people in Laredo, and in Texas, and the expressions of freedom, and enjoyment were a direct result of all the hardships and struggle their parents had faced, joyously taking on the new post-world war and great depression era. The city’s music scene was on the rise, and the writer explicitly explains these details about the era to engage the readers, educating and informing them that how they, despite dire circumstances emerged to influence the world of music in the years to come. With many cultures mixing in the city, the musical influence did not contain a single genre, rather, it was a blend of all the popular music genres. The local bands in that era performed everything from rock, pop and Chicano music. The emergence of the “Tejano” genre, led to the beginning of a revolutionary era in the Texas’ music scene. The genre was the perfect amalgamation of Spanish, Mexican, and American musical traditions, where an additional taste and blend of orchestral elements was added to set the genre apart from all others. The genre, soon erupted, and became the anthem of the youth in the era. The Rondels played a significant role in uplifting  the genre, as they were later to be known as Laredo’s original pioneers. Tejano picked up, and the listeners were dancing along every beat. The book describes the journey of the Rondels, and how they perfectly enriched a newly born genre into the hearts of a whole generation.

The book Los Rondels: Laredo’s Original Tejano Recording Artists is the story of a band that inspired a generation by introducing a fresh style of music to the industry. The author, Humberto Gonzalez beautifully describes in his memoir about the scenes he saw during this era of musical revolution and most importantly how the experience influenced his life and career. The book is available for readers from all over the world on Amazon and Goodreads.