Post by erik on Apr 30, 2022 21:13:34 GMT -5
From the Champs, the group that gave us "Tequila", comes another slice of Mexicana-influenced rock in this celebration of Cinco De Mayo.
EL RANCHO ROCK (The Champs; Challenge; 1958)—Although it was not necessarily acknowledged as having had an impact on rock and roll in its formative years (it still wouldn’t be until the emergence of Santana in 1969), Latin music indeed had that impact. In many ways, one such portal into the world of modern and popular Latin music came in 1958, with Richie Valens’ “La Bamba”; Henry Mancini’s flavorful score for director Orson Welles’ film noir cult classic Touch Of Evil; and the #1 hit by the Champs, “Tequila”. With a line-up of musicians that, over the years, included Jim Seals and Dash Crofts (Seals and Crofts) and even future country/pop crossover legend Glen Campbell, the band brought a fair amount of Latin-influenced music into rock and roll. As a follow-up to “Tequila”, the group put a rock and roll spin on a classic Mexican ranchera song. “El Rancho Rock”, with its twangy guitars, sax, and Mexicana flavoring, is based on the Mexican song “Alla En El Rancho Grande” (“There On The Big Ranch”), which was written by Silvano Ramos in 1927 and recorded that same year by the Orquestra Tipica Mexicana. Although “El Rancho Rock” only managed to get up to #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1958, it was nevertheless a catalyst for furthering the Latin music influence in rock during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
EL RANCHO ROCK (The Champs; Challenge; 1958)—Although it was not necessarily acknowledged as having had an impact on rock and roll in its formative years (it still wouldn’t be until the emergence of Santana in 1969), Latin music indeed had that impact. In many ways, one such portal into the world of modern and popular Latin music came in 1958, with Richie Valens’ “La Bamba”; Henry Mancini’s flavorful score for director Orson Welles’ film noir cult classic Touch Of Evil; and the #1 hit by the Champs, “Tequila”. With a line-up of musicians that, over the years, included Jim Seals and Dash Crofts (Seals and Crofts) and even future country/pop crossover legend Glen Campbell, the band brought a fair amount of Latin-influenced music into rock and roll. As a follow-up to “Tequila”, the group put a rock and roll spin on a classic Mexican ranchera song. “El Rancho Rock”, with its twangy guitars, sax, and Mexicana flavoring, is based on the Mexican song “Alla En El Rancho Grande” (“There On The Big Ranch”), which was written by Silvano Ramos in 1927 and recorded that same year by the Orquestra Tipica Mexicana. Although “El Rancho Rock” only managed to get up to #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1958, it was nevertheless a catalyst for furthering the Latin music influence in rock during the 1960’s and 1970’s.