Rudy Salas (5 January 1949 – 29 December 2020)Rudy Salas, Tierra band leader and cofounder, dies at 71 was a musician who was a member of the group El Chicano. He was also the co-founder of the L.A. Latin R&B band, Tierra. Along with his brother Steve, he was a major part of the Eastside sound from the mid-1960s.
History Rudy was raised in Lincoln Heights. In the early days he did not speak Spanish. He and his brother picked up the harmonies from his mother and uncle who would sing at family gatherings. Taking what he learned from his mother, he and his brother started playing neighborhood fiestas.San Jose Mercury News 16-1-2013 Tierra gets 'Together' for autism benefit by Paul Freeman In the early to mid 1960s, the brothers were spotted by Mario Paniagua a leader of The Percussions, Jaguars. When Rudy was about age 11, he appeared on "Where Lovers Go" by the Jaguars. Not long after that, Rudy and Steve recorded singles for Eddie Davis's Faro label as The Salas Brothers.You Found That East Side Sound May 13, 2012 Eastside Legends - The Salas Brothers
Later Salas joined groups such as El Chicano and Maya.Barrio Rhythm: Mexican American Music in Los Angeles Steven Loza 104 Part I: History Tierra In 1972, Rudy and Steve joined El Chicano with Rudy as a guitarist.Latin Music: Musicians, Genres, and Themes by Ilan Stavans Page 242 El Chicano In 1973, Rudy and his brother formed Tierra, and their first album Tierra was recorded. In 1980, as an Eastside group, the brothers with their group had unmatched success with their cover of the Intruders hit "Together".Ethnic and Border Music: A Regional Exploration by Norm Cohen Page 74 He produced their 1980 album City Nights that featured the hit.Billboard 13/12/1980 Page 77 First Time Around Following a falling out with his brother, they did not work together for 11 years.
In 2010 Salas played a concert at the Inland Empire with former El Chicano bandmate Bobby Espinosa who would soon pass away.89.3KPCC March 02 2010 Co-founder of seminal East L.A. band El Chicano dies by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
Salas died on 29 December 2020, at age 71.
Eastside Heartbeats, A New Rock ‘N’ Roll Musical Eastside Heartbeats’ is a musical by Tom Waldman.Eastside-heartbeats.com - Home page Rudy Salas wrote the song "Doing It Our Way" for the show.AARP, January 05, 2016 - Feeling the Eastside Heartbeat By Joe Hepp
Discography
Appears on Ry Cooder – Chavez Ravine Little Willie G. – "Three Cool Cats"Mark Guerrero Tierra: Funkafied Salsa Upground – Feel the Vibe - (2006)All Music Rudy Salas, Credits
Further reading The Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 2020 - Rudy Salas, cofounder of mainstay Chicano R&B band Tierra, dies at 71 By Suzy Exposito
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