Bobby Espinosa

A Tribute to Bobby Espinosa updated 1/1/12

A Tribute to Bobby Espinosa uploaded 1/1/12

Welcome to EastLArevue.com, my name is Chico Manqueros and it is with a heavy heart that I welcome you all to this special program….A Tribute to Bobby Espinosa.  Bobby was a friend and mentor to many of us and he was also a man who gave his time and shared his experiences about life and his musical history.  If you ever spoke to Bobby, he always made you feel relaxed and most of all at some point in the conversation, he would make you laugh.  Bobby was without a doubt a musical legend and icon and an inspiration to many, many musicians.

For over 40 years Bobby’s signature sound on the Hammond B-3 organ was the foundation of the original El Chicano sound, together with bassist Freddie Sanchez & guitarist Mickey Lespron, El Chicano was able to create their own Latin Rock sound.  With influences ranging from jazz, blues and R&B, El Chicano’s distinctive groove became the soundtrack for music lovers around the world with classic numbers like “Tell her she’s lovely”, “The Latin one”, “One More Night”, “Mas Zacate”, ”Brown Eyed Girl”,  “El Cayuco”, “Cha Chita”, “Sabor a Mi” and of course the tune that brought the band into the immediate spotlight ‘Viva Tirado’ that was an old jazz standard by Gerald Wilson that was written for Bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado.  The band adapted this tune as their break tune and little did they know that it would become an international hit.  It became a Chicano Anthem and was and still is apart of the soundtrack for Chicano Music.  This classic was a hit on local Los Angeles radio and was listed as #28 on the pop billboard chart and #20 on the R&B Charts and #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart even getting airplay on country western stations.  It became their signature tune.  It was in 1969 that a struggling eastside band called the VIP’s came to the attention of Eddie Davis and a new chapter in the history of Chicano Rock was about to be recorded.  Eddie Davis went on to press some DJ copies on his Gordo label and the rest as they say is history.  Bobby was apart of every El Chicano recording and his accomplishments included being a producer, composer and vocalist.  

Bobby was recently inducted into "Hammond Heroes" an elite society of the best players on the Hammond organ, an Honor bestowed on only the most gifted musicians; He has been the only "Chicano Artist" ever to be recognized for his unique style of Blues, Jazz and Latin music on the Hammond B3 organ.

Bobby passed away on Saturday February 27th and our hearts and prayers go out to the Espinosa and El Chicano family.  We now present to you a special musical tribute to celebrate Bobby’s life and contributions to nuestra musica.  We welcome your comments and any personal notes regarding Bobby and El Chicanos music that you would like to share with his familia, friends and fans.

This is El Chicano…this is Bobby Espinosa. Que Viva la musica…