Guerrero, Lalo

▪ 2006

Eduardo Guerrero, Jr. 

      American singer-songwriter (b. Dec. 24, 1916, Tucson, Ariz.—d. March 17, 2005, Palm Springs, Calif.), captured the spirit of daily Mexican American life and embraced the social diversity of Mexican and American communities in bilingual songs and parodies. Guerrero, who was dubbed “the father of Chicano music,” incorporated a wide variety of musical styles, including Spanish boleros, corridos, norteñas, and rancheras as well as American blues, swing, and rock and roll. His parodies of popular American songs included “Tacos for Two,” Battle Hymn of the Chicanos,” “Pancho López,” which lampooned Walt Disney's “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” and the satiric “Mama, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Busboys.” Other notable works included “Canción mexicana” and “Pecadora.” During a six-decade career, Guerrero wrote more than 700 songs, including boogie-woogie-inspired pachuco songs, which were featured in Luis Valdez's theatrical production Zoot Suit (1977). Guerrero was awarded a 1996 National Medal of Arts.

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