On this page, you will find most, if not all, of my music-related blog posts, with the exception of most of the work I did at KXCI radio, which is available at The Chicano Connection Archive page.
100 Years (Mas o Menos) of Mexican Music in Tucson / Lecture, November 12, 2015 This is an updated version of a lecture on the history of Mexican music in Tucson that I had originally presented in Dr. Lydia Otero’s MAS 265 class in 2012.
Affirmations and Surprises: Following the Transformational Trail of Tucson’s Youth Mariachi and Folklorico Dance Movement / Program, September 22, 2016. I produced the program featuring local writer and videographer Daniel Buckley. The program also featured a live musical performance by Pueblo High School’s mariachi group, Mariachi Aztlan.
Amber Tide Playing at My Birthday Party, January, 1986. Sandahbeth and Thaddeus Spae called themselves Amber Tide. They were a traveling musical duo who played in the Tucson area for a while in the mid-80s. I let them stay with me briefly and one day they came over to my mom’s house and played a few songs for the family. It was a wonderful time.
Aretha Franklin: my favorite videos. I love Aretha’s early recordings and there are many examples shown here of her singing in the early 60s, before RESPECT catapulted her to superstardom. I’ve also included many performances from the late 60s, the 70s and the 80s.
Basic Music Reference Sources / 2005. This is the outline to a training session I created for staff at the University of Arizona Fine Arts Library when I worked there back in 2005. It was designed for staff with very little knowledge of music, to give them basic orientation to the topic.
Benny Goodman (May 30, 1909-June 13, 1986). I put this tribute page together for the great Benny Goodman and included all of the recordings I own, and several other things like news clippings, photos and videos. I was inspired to do this after reading a very interesting biography on the great clarinetist.
Black Women in Music / Exhibition February, 2011 (Fine Arts Library). This was a small exhibit I put together while working at the Music Library. I included a lot of recordings and other material that are not represented in this document.
Bob Diaz’s Dream: Taking Note of Mexican Music . An article about me and my work that appeared in the May 23, 2003, issue of The Arizona Daily Star. I was working at the Fine Arts Library at the time, and had just given a presentation on Latin Music for the Americanos program series at the Center for Creative Photography. A writer for the Arizona Daily Star was in attendance and he followed up with me afterwards and interviewed me.
Cine Mariachi Film Festival at the Fox Program. July 30, 2006 Fox Theatre, Tucson. I was a board member of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference and produced this program as a fundraiser for the upcoming 25th anniversary of the conference. Included in the program were three feature films, live mariachi music and baile folklorico. The event raised several thousand dollars for the conference.
Confessions of a Ranchera Junkie, 2009, The REFORMA Newsletter, Summer 2009. I was in the midst of my ranchera music craze when I wrote this article.
Country Music Reference Resources / 2005. This is comprehensive resource guide to country music that I put together in 2005 when I worked at the Fine Arts Library. It has not been updated since then. It includes some websites (likely outdated by now), but consists mostly of books, the majority of which are available at the University of Arizona’s Fine Arts Library.
Desert Trip 2016: Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. A brief chronicle of the trip my friend Richard Elias and took to Palm Springs to see Dylan and the Stones. It was a memorable occasion!
An Evening of Corridos / Program, November 3, 2015. I produced this program featuring a lecture by Dr. Celestino Fernandez and performances by Justin Enriquez and Juan Aguilar of the group, Los Cuatro Vientos, and others.
The Flute: A Resource Guide / Web page, June 10, 2011. I created this web page as a resource for flute students and members of the National Flute Association when I was working out of the Fine Arts Library. The web page is no longer available, and the links in many cases do not work, but much of the information is still relevant and useful.
Gospel Music. These are songs I discovered while surfing youtube, mostly. I love all of this stuff.
Happy Birthday, Joan Baez / Exhibition, January 2011 (Fine Arts Library). This is an abridged representation of an exhibit I put together while still at the Fine Arts Library. Missing are the many, many cassettes, cds, books, photos and records that I included.
History of Mariachi Music, a multi-media presentation, part of Drink Cultura Series Chicano Hispano Student Affairs, Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 14, 2007. In this presentation, I provided a chronological look at the history of mariachi music, focusing on key events and people, from the mid-1800s to the present.
The History of Mariachi y La Cancion Ranchera / Presentation, October 27, 2009. I gave this 90 minute invited, guest lecture/multimedia presentation in Professor Lydia Otero’s Introduction to Mexican American Studies class (100+ students). The University of Arizona.
Joan Baez Live and on Film. These are in some cases just the audio files of some of Ms. Baez’s concerts. In others, video is included. It seems like more of her material becomes available every month.
José Alfredo Jiménez: A Celebration of his music on The Chicano Connection (01/16/19) May 2, 2020
Latin Music Resources / Web page, March 27, 2011. A page I created when I was the music, dance and theater arts librarian in 2011. The links no longer work, as the page is inactive, but there are still useful resources included.
Linda Ronstadt: Folksongs and Country Music (mostly). Songs I found on Youtube (audio mostly) of Linda Ronstadt singing some of my favorite folk and country tunes.
Lucha Villa Ay…. Amor… These are audio recordings that I found of Lucha Villa that all appeared on the album “Ay, Amor”. It was a great one!
Lucha Villa Films and Recordings: The Seventies / Web page, July 25, 2010. This is another chronological list of all of Ms. Villa’s films from the 70s and recordings that she released on the Musart label. The links are no longer active nor is the website, but the information included may still be useful for researchers.
Lucha Villa Films and Recordings: The Sixties / Web page, July 25, 2010. This is a chronological list of all of Ms. Villa’s recordings for the Musart label and all of her films from the 1960s. The links are no longer active, nor is the website, but the information may still be useful to researchers.
Lucha Villa: My favorite songs and videos. A youtube audio/video compilation of my favorite Lucha Villa recordings. This is my number one lady when it comes to Mexican music.
Lucha Villa Vol. 7, Musart lp 1366, released in 1968 . Another set of recordings that I pieced together from youtube that comprise one of Lucha’s best works.
Mariachi and Ranchera Music Resources / Web page, November 2009. An online research guide (no longer available) that provides links to a variety of resources and information about mariachi music, including mariachi education, mariachi groups, information about conferences and festivals, biographical information on ranchera singers, and more. Most of the pages included no longer exist or have changed names and website addresses.
“Mariachi Method for Guitar: Beginning Level,” book review in REFORMA National Newsletter, Spring 2004. p. 8. This was a review I wrote for the REFORMA newsletter.
Mis Canciones Favoritas These are some of my very favorite songs in Spanish. The bulk of them are Mexican rancheras.
Mix Tape For Richard Elias, Christmas, 1987. I made this tape for Richard Elias when I moved to Michigan. It was his Christmas present. He told me it made him cry.
Music Subject Guide. I was the library liaison to the Music department for approximately 10 years. One of my responsibilities was to provide reference service to the student and faculty of the Music Dept, as well as to the general public. I created this subject guide to help researchers find music-related information quickly and easily. The guide was updated on a regular basis and was available on the Library’s website.
My Favorite Albums. A compilation of record albums that I really like. Included are songs from each one.
My favorite albums, Part 2 . A continuation of my favorite records.
Una Noche De Corridos / Program, September 26, 2013. A program I produced that included live musical performances by Juan Aguilar, Justin Enriquez, Bobby Benton, Jim Griffith and others.
Una Noche De Corridos / Program, October 6, 2016. I produced this program and presented a lecture titled, “What’s To Know About Corridos Anyway?” Performers included Mr. Bobby Benton and others.
Promoting Mariachi Music and La Cancion Ranchera: One Librarians Efforts / Presentation, April 2, 2011. “Feria Del Mariachi Annual Conference”, Texas State University, San Marcos. See the accompanying powerpoint presentation here.
Protest Music in the Latino Community / Publication, 2013. I wrote this for “The Encyclopedia of Latino Culture: From Calaveras to Quinceaneras”, edited by Charles M. Tatum, Greenwood Press, 2013.
Resources for the Study of Early/Modern Music. / 2006. This is a research guide I prepared for a class in the Group for Early/Modern Studies program at the University of Arizona in 2006.
Songs about Emiliano Zapata. These are all videos of songs written about the great revolutionary Mexican leader, Emiliano Zapata.
Tina Turner Remembered I put this together as a tribute to Tina Turner shortly after she died. Included are all the recordings I own of hers as well as videos, a list of her singles and a chronology that provides details of her career.
“What’s to Know About Corridos Anyway?”/ Presentation, October 6, 2016. This was a lecture that I presented at the Una Noche de Corridos event in Special Collections at the The University of Arizona LIbraries. Included are a number of music videos, all corridos.