Conjunto legend Freddie Gomez dies at 73
deb...@comcast.net
By Mike Moody
The Brownsville Herald
September 7, 2005 - Alfredo (Freddie) Gomez died Saturday at the age
of 73, but his legacy will live on in the recordings and stage shows of
the area Conjunto musicians the singer-songwriter inspired.
Gomez was born in Rancho Los Carricitos, a small town near Los Indios,
on Aug. 6, 1932, but he and his family soon moved to San Benito. Gomez
picked up a guitar at age 6 and, after many years playing and
practicing in San Benito, he joined famed Conjunto legend Ruben
Vela's band in 1958 and formed his own group, Freddie Gomez y Los
Dinamicos, shortly after.
Gomez peaked as an artist in the late 1960s, alongside Vela and
Gilberto Perez, and stopped performing professionally in 1971.
His energetic live performances earned him the nickname "El Ciclon
del Valle."
"They used to call him 'El Ciclon' because every time he would
play, he would sweep the place up," said Brownsville Conjunto singer
and accordion player Tony Tapia, who also represents the Brownsville
chapter of the South Texas Conjunto Association.
"Freddie was responsible for a lot of songs that artists do today. He
was a great songwriter. ... We used to listen to the radio, and all we
would hear was Freddie Gomez songs," Tapia said.
One of Tapia's favorite Freddie Gomez songs was "El Soldado
Raso," or "Private First Class." The Vietnam War-era song told
the tale of a soldier who was readying for war but worried aloud about
leaving his mother and family behind.
"'El Soldado Raso,' is a great song. You can hear that song over
and over again. It was a big hit for him in the '60s and it's still
a hit, because other people still play it," said 33-year-old Conjunto
musician Frutty Villareal, who cites Gomez as a heavy influence on his
work.
"I was raised poor and my mom had all the Freddie Gomez 45s and
78s." Villareal said. "He (Gomez) had no schooling. He was raised
poor. All he could do was sing and play guitar, and that's what
Conjunto is about."
Unlike most Conjunto musicians who fronted their own bands in the
'60s, Gomez played the guitar, not the accordion. His octave range
was also much higher than other singers of the time. His friends and
admirers remember him as an innovator, a true original.
"Freddie was a gentleman in our genre. A lot of these musicians get
blurred together, but he was distinct because of his skill and his
songs" said Dr. Ramon DeLeon, a founder of the Narciso Martinez
Cutural Arts Center in San Benito.
"He had a beautiful original style," said Edinburg musician Pepe
Maldonado, who toured the country with Gomez in the late '60s. "In
order to make things work in this world, you have to be original. This
guy was an original."
Cultural preservationists like DeLeon are keeping Gomez's legend
alive. He was named Bass Player of the Century by the South Texas
Conjunto Association, and was recently inducted into the South Texas
Hall of Fame in San Benito.
"His songwriting was very strong. I suspect most of the people who
are singing his songs don't even know where the songs came from, but
it doesn't matter. The songs are that good," DeLeon said.
A funeral service for Gomez was held Tuesday at St. Benedict's
Catholic Church, and interment followed at the Gomez Cemetery, located
on the corner of "Freddie Gomez, Rd." and Military Hwy. 281.
"Freddie made it big because he was a great singer. There a lot of
people that are trying to imitate him now, but I don't think there
will be another Freddie Gomez for a long while," Maldonado said.