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BIENVENIDOS A SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Finalmente, Un Museo A La Música Tejana

Despues de 25 años, Salomé Gutiérrez realiza lo que el Texas Talent Musician’s Association prometio hace más de dos decadas – un museo a la música Tejana.

 

The Texas Music Museum (its English name) will open its doors at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 7^th with a rare special public appearance by Lydia Mendoza, who she will be greeted by mariachis. Located at 660 Old Highway 90 West, the building is right of Del Bravo Record Shop.

 

The sprite, sharp 74-year-old singer-songwriter, who now owns Del Bravo, DLB Records and San Antonio Music Publishers, himself was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame in 1982.

 

Gutiérrez wrote his first song, “Corazon Aqui Te Quedas” in 1944. Two years later, it was recorded by Timoteo Cantú y Jesús Maya on Armando Marroquin’s Ideal label.

Since then his songs have been recorded by Lydia Mendoza, to whom Gutiérrez dedicated the museum; Carmen y Laura, Isidro López, Chelo Sílva, and the list goes on and on. In summary, more then 500 of his songs have been recorded by a list of who’s who in conjunto and Tejano music. In addition, “El Gato Negro” was made into a movie and later adopted as Rubén Ramos’ theme song and nickname.

In 1963, Gutiérrez built and became the engineer for José Morantes recording studio in the corner of Ruiz and Zarzamora streets.

Covered with sweat as he worked on last minute additions to a wall, Gutiérrez said, “I can’t call it a job because I worked without pay all the way to 1980. La música es muy bonita pero primero tenemos que comer. Solo que durante el día tenia que trabajaba con pico y pala para mantener mi familia.

As a singer, in 1948 Gutiérrez joined Trio Nocturnal, who could be heard live each night on Nuevo Laredo’s XEDF.

During the 1960s Gutiérrez and José Sampayo sang lead for Los Gavilanes. Then he teamed up with Andres Álvarez as Los Cuatezones. Both Sampayo and Álvarez have passed on.

Asked why he decided to open the museum, Gutiérrez said, “first of all, it was for the love of the music.

 

“My second reason was that just like myself, countless of fellow hall of fame inductees have waited a quarter of a century for the Tejano Music Awards people to built the physical structure they promised, but it never happened. So I decided to take action.

 

“What good is it to be in a hall of fame if there’s no place where your family, friends and public can see an exhibit on all the inductees?

 

To date, the living legend has invested $125,000 to realize that dream. He started by buying a cantina that was next door to his record shop, then spent countless months on its renovation.

 

Gutiérrez is not starting his own hall of fame inductions, nor does he plan to hold fundraising dinners and events. His personal contribution is a mere gift to his peers.

 

“I did it as a tribute to all the musicians and composes who pioneered, performed and contributed to the music of Texas,” he explained.

 

While this is a first for the Alamo City, one must realize that this is not the first Tejano music museum in Texas. The other physical structure is the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame and Museum in Alice, Texas, a non-profit organization headed by Javier Villanueva and Juan Sifuentes Jr.

 

Gutiérrez’s partners in this project are his wife Diamantina plus his ___ sons and daughters. Although this is a privately funded venture, Gutiérrez will not charge admission to his facility. However, there will be a donation box and there is no greater gift shop then his record shop, which also sells Tejano music memorabilia.