Lalo & Mark Page

A Brief Synopsis of My Musical History with My Father

by MarkGuerrero

     The following pages contain information, photos, programs, and flyers relating to my musical relationship with my father, Lalo Guerrero.  In the 60s, as a teenager I played on many of his records, usually with my band, Mark & the Escorts.  Some highlights were a rocker called "Los Grenudos," his 60s remake of "Pancho Claus," and his big hit "La Minifalda de Reynalda," on which I played lead guitar on a 12-string Rickenbacher.  Mark & the Escorts also played some out of town gigs opening for my dad's orchestra in the early 60s.  In our early teens, we traveled with him and his band and played in Indio, Bakersfield, Stockton, and San Jose, California, as well as Yuma, Chandler, and Tucson, Arizona.  In the 70s and 80s, I put bands together to back him on many of his children's records, "Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero."  I also wrote the music to about a dozen of those recordings, with my dad writing the Spanish lyric.  I would also sometimes be one of the Ardillita singing voices.  Many of the vocal sessions took place in Mexico City so my dad and I had some great times recording and hanging out down there in the early 80s.  On the songwriting front, he also wrote a full Spanish lyric to my song "On the Boulevard."  We also wrote a beautiful ballad together called "Receta de Amor," on which I wrote the music and he the lyric.  In 1981, during the Fernando Valenzuela phenomenon, my dad recorded a single containing two songs about the Dodger pitcher, who had brought such pride to the Latino community in Southern California.  I wrote one of the songs, "Fernando, El Toro," my dad wrote the other, "Ole Fernando."  The record sold at Dodger Stadium at the concession stands.  In 2001, both songs were also included on an ESPN television show called "Fernandomania," on which my dad and I were also interviewed about Fernando.  The songs were also sent to the baseball hall of fame.  My dad and I did numerous other television and radio shows together, mostly local shows in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

     Other than a handful of "live" shows we did together in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, it never occurred to us to create a show and perform together with a band.  It wasn't until my dad was offered an opportunity to play in Paris, France in 1998, that he thought to ask me to lead a small group to perform with him.  That group consisted of yours truly on lead guitar, a guitarrón player, and a drummer.  I also sang a couple of my songs on the show.  The show in Paris was a big hit so when we returned home  we kept it going.  Our next opportunity was to perform at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for which the band grew to to six pieces.  I eventually came up with the name "The Second Generation Band" because its members were of my generation, which is second generation Mexican-American, my dad being first generation with his parents having been born in Mexico.  The one exception was Alex Armstrong, who is of my generation, but of Scottish, not Mexican descent.  Lalo Guerrero with Mark Guerrero & the Second Generation Band played eleven shows in the period between 1998 and 2000.  After 2000, I formed my own band called Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán.  On several occasions we did shows on the bill with my dad on which we would back him.  This and the following pages on this "Lalo & Mark" section of this website contain information, photos, flyers, programs, and videos of the Lalo & Mark Band.  It also has some flyers and programs from pre and post Lalo Guerrero with Mark Guerrero & the Second Generation Band.  The video pages of this section has performances of that band from many of the shows we did, including Paris, France and the Getty Museum.

Click here for the Lalo & Mark Band Page
 

Contact me at:  info@markguerrero.net

Previous page || Go to next lalo & mark page