1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION 1-3 WHEREAS, The history of the State of Texas cannot be 1-4 sufficiently appreciated without acknowledging contributions made 1-5 by people of Mexican descent; among these people are included the 1-6 great musicos like the noted Juan Lopez, el "maestro" de musica 1-7 conjunto, whom we honor today; and 1-8 WHEREAS, Affectionately referred to as "El Rey De La Redova," 1-9 Juan Lopez was born and raised into a rich musical tradition on 1-10 March 8, 1922, in Jackson County, Texas, somewhere between Edna 1-11 and Victoria; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Juan Lopez will be celebrating his 75th birthday 1-13 this Saturday, March 8, 1997; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Texas is recognized as the cultural center of la 1-15 musica conjunto; today, Mexican-Americans are a natural part of 1-16 the Texas cultural landscape and their numbers and importance will 1-17 increase in the years to come; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Texans today know little about Tejano history 1-19 including Tejano music; consequently, our Texas youth grow up 1-20 learning little about their cultural history and find it virtually 1-21 impossible to identify Tejanos and important events that helped 1-22 shape the status of Mexican people in this part of the country; 1-23 and 2-1 WHEREAS, Today, the Rio Grande Valley is considered to be 2-2 one of the most important cultural meccas for Mexican people in 2-3 the United States; much of Mexican folklore in Texas and in states 2-4 located in the Northeast and Midwest, where migrants from the 2-5 valley settled, can be linked to the Mexican heritage of the 2-6 Rio Grande Valley; and 2-7 WHEREAS, Knowledge of medicinal plants, folktales, the 2-8 use of home altars, Spanish language, Mexican culinary traditions, 2-9 music, art, dance, and belief in a strong family unit are part of 2-10 the legacy linked to the communities left behind by early Tejano 2-11 settlers; and 2-12 WHEREAS, These folkways have diminished over the years but 2-13 are very much alive within many communities in the valley; and 2-14 WHEREAS, The corrido, or Mexican folk ballad, has been 2-15 transmitted to other parts of the United States through Rio Grande 2-16 Valley communities; and 2-17 WHEREAS, Mr. Juan Lopez is a master instrumentalist who 2-18 has played his music since he was 12 while living in Robstown 2-19 near Corpus Christi; and 2-20 WHEREAS, In Texas, Tejano corridos were the common people's 2-21 means of documenting history and telling the tales of important 2-22 and significant events in the Hispanic community; and 2-23 WHEREAS, Conjunto music in Texas enriches our cultural 2-24 heritage and its lyrics are heard around the world; and 2-25 WHEREAS, Texas conjunto, or musica regional, is a rich and 3-1 popular genre of music that incorporates the polka as its basic 3-2 dance rhythm; South Texas is the heart of conjunto, and it has 3-3 nurtured numerous individuals famous for their playing abilities; 3-4 and 3-5 WHEREAS, Mr. Juan Lopez is one of such famous individuals 3-6 who carried on this rich tradition; and 3-7 WHEREAS, The three-row button accordion is the traditional 3-8 instrument in the Texas conjunto bands; and 3-9 WHEREAS, The accordion was introduced in Mexico by German 3-10 immigrants to northern Mexico during the latter part of the 19th 3-11 century; the accordion was quickly adopted by Mexicanos due to 3-12 several factors: the accordion could be played alone and still 3-13 provide sufficient music for dancing; be purchased rather cheaply 3-14 along the border; and be transported from place to place with 3-15 little trouble; and 3-16 WHEREAS, Early Tejano conjunto accordion players pioneered 3-17 the way for others as the music evolved into a symbol of the 3-18 Mexican-American working class; other noted accordionists such 3-19 as Tony De La Rosa from Alice, Texas, and Santiago Jimenez and 3-20 Fred Zimmerle from San Antonio have contributed much to the social 3-21 life of Tejanos; and 3-22 WHEREAS, This fall, PBS television will present a film 3-23 about the origins and evolution of conjunto music called 3-24 Songs of the Homeland; conjunto music has gained in popularity 3-25 over the last 15 years; this growth is due in part to the Chicano 4-1 Movement of the 1960s and 1970s that legitimized conjunto as a 4-2 form of music; and 4-3 WHEREAS, The growth of the Mexican-American community as a 4-4 consumer market has also been a factor as radio stations compete 4-5 for advertisers' dollars; and 4-6 WHEREAS, Juan Lopez's music is filled with Texas-Mexican 4-7 history; music whose lyrics are filled with rich and exciting 4-8 experiences, corridos about brave women and men who lived hard 4-9 and difficult lives in order to provide for their families; and 4-10 WHEREAS, These songs speak about the leaders from the 4-11 Mexican-American community who came from all political persuasions 4-12 and class backgrounds; and 4-13 WHEREAS, Today, the presence of Mexican-Americans in Texas 4-14 is more prevalent than it has ever been; the Spanish language is 4-15 increasing rather than dying out; more and more radio stations play 4-16 Tejano music; more and more schools and neighborhoods have a Latino 4-17 population majority; and 4-18 WHEREAS, In 1989, Juan Lopez was inducted into the Conjunto 4-19 Music Hall of Fame and since then has been a regular at the annual 4-20 Tejano Conjunto Festival held every May in San Antonio, sponsored 4-21 by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center; now, therefore, be it 4-22 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 4-23 75th Legislature, hereby recognize the contributions of the music 4-24 of Mr. Juan Lopez in creating a better Texas for all Tejanos; and, 4-25 be it further 5-1 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for 5-2 "El Rey De La Redova" with best wishes from the Texas Senate 5-3 for a memorable birthday and continued long life. 5-4 Truan 5-5 Armbrister Galloway Ogden 5-6 Barrientos Harris Patterson 5-7 Bivins Haywood Ratliff 5-8 Brown Lindsay Shapiro 5-9 Cain Lucio Shapleigh 5-10 Carona Luna Sibley 5-11 Duncan Madla Wentworth 5-12 Ellis Moncrief West 5-13 Fraser Nelson Whitmire 5-14 Gallegos Nixon Zaffirini 5-15 Bullock, President of the Senate 5-16 ______________________________________ 5-17 President of the Senate 5-18 I hereby certify that the above 5-19 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 5-20 on March 6, 1997. 5-21 ______________________________________ 5-22 Secretary of the Senate 5-23 ______________________________________ 5-24 Dean of the Senate