As part of the “Celebration of Chicano Culture” program at El Camino College, Dan Guerrero presented on Tuesday, May 8, the biographical documentary which he produced in 2006 with Nancy De Los Santos about his father, “Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano.”
Eduardo “Lalo” Guerrero (1916-2005) was an influential Mexican-American guitarist, singer, and activist who has been called “the father of Chicano music.” Born in Tucson, Ariz. to Mexican immigrant parents, he was completely bilingual.
Lalo Guerrero recorded over 700 songs during his life, and he also wrote songs for other artists such as Lucha Reyes, Lola Beltran, and El Trio Los Panchos.
His “Pachuco” compositions inspired Luis Valdez to create the musical “Zoot Suit.” He is fondly remembered by a generation of children for the “las Ardillitas” (“the three little squirrels,” a Latin version of Alvin and the Chipmunks) albums. He has also collaborated with Ry Cooder and with the Los Lobos band.
The movie included moving testimonies from a who’s who of the Chicano world: César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Linda Ronstadt, Luis Valdez, Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, Edward James Olmos, David Hidalgo, and Louie Pérez.
Lalo Guerrero was declared a national folk treasure by the Smithsonian Institution in 1980, and he received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton in 1996.
Lalo Guerrero’s two sons are also in the entertainment business: Dan Guerrero is a producer for the Kennedy Center as well as a Chicano/LGBTQ activist, while Mark Guerrero is a singer/songwriter.
A complete trailer for the documentary can be watched here.
