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Uh Corpus Christi, Texas. And I'm speaking with Johnny Herrera, composer, musician, record store owner, producer of records. Do you, do you remember the first time that you, that you ran into? Like I said, I just gotten out of the army and I was about, 0 19

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years old and uh I hitchhiked back and forth and my trying to get everybody to write my songs. And then Lydia happened to be, you know, playing here in Corpus Christi. So she was gonna be at one of the radio stations. I forget what it was.

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But uh everybody says you're crazy trying to even approach her because she's a big RC, a recording star. I said, no, I don't care. So I went up there and uh she performed and then I very meekly walked up there to her and I said, look,

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my name is uh Johnny Herrera. And I write songs and uh I've got a new label unknown. I know that you're a very famous star. But, and before I knew it, she embraced me, you know, and she, oh, she said, calm down now, I'm just another

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person. Just take it easy. And I just shook. I just, I mean, I didn't know what to say. And then, uh, I said, well, I'd like for you to listen to my boleros and maybe you'd be interested in recording and, like I said, it's not a

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big recording company. And, uh, I figured, uh, well, if you can let me know if you're gonna, and she embraced me again. I wanted to cry. You know, she was so simple, so nice. So, uh just down to earth. So then she said, well, OK, I'm

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gonna do a performance tomorrow. Uh I'll be at your house which we had, you know, one of those simple uh folk uh folk court or whatever you call it. I don't remember, but just a simple recording machine. So I said, well, maybe she's just saying it

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just to sure enough after the performance walked up there. And uh this is my mother. I said, this is my father and gave her a cup of coffee. And uh I said, uh we haven't discussed it but I said, don't you worry about the price? I

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mean, you just, you and I had two songs ready. And then of course, the musicians were there and right away, she was started learning them and I run to the other room and I started writing two more because she said, I'll tell you what I'm gonna

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do. I'm only charge you $100 for four recordings. And actually, I've only got two songs So then, well, she was recording the other ones while they were, you know, what, what we can't even call it a studio because that's not what it was. You know, I

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finally finished the other one and then, uh, she said I'm through with it. It, it didn't take, it didn't take 20 minutes or 30 minutes at the most. She had just learned the songs, recorded them and she said, ok, let me see what you got there.

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So then she had another cup of coffee. She learned them. OK. By this was, oh, we started about nine o'clock, I think about 12 o'clock. She had already done the uh the four songs on, on the Gabetta record and talk about uh to, to this day,

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I am so elated. I owe so much to that woman because of that embrace. Just a simple embrace here. I felt the Lord. Here I am a nobody. And uh that to me is what media represents beauty. Uh Our pioneer, of course in this music and

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uh overall she is here to stay forever. And what more can I say? That is Lydia Mendoza to me. And uh like I say, she recorded one album but uh I'm gonna get around to it and get her to record another one. Uh huh That's and

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what I was gonna say, how long had you been writing songs when you first met her? This was about 1952. All of this or in 15. Well, I started writing since I was about nine years old, I was strictly into country music. But then when I

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was around 14, that's when I wrote uh the first song that was recorded uh by OJ Victor, by Maria Victoria. And then after that, the Roa Dra. And then, of course, I've got my worldwide for Mo Tivo, which I did in my own label with the

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Conjunto here. And then afterwards, they went into Mexico before I knew it. They sent me a record with Maria Vargas, the, the Cali Clan Loo Reales. And uh that has been selling ever since it was released. And I was very highly elated because a couple of

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months ago, the representative that have Mexico City sent me this uh the rere release of the original ni uh 19 52 they re released it in a single because it still continues to. So now this is the one that I get royalties from the title. This

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is, and this was recorded by Los D Os Reales, Mas Kit. Now this one, Johnny Herrera is a composer and now everybody seems to think that like Sere Lisa and the whole world recorded, but this the last time that uh I counted, what is it, what

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is the, the title of the one that the Lisa Squires de Mayor? And that was done by Lisa Lopez here and made a pretty big hit. Oh Yes. In, in uh Spain but then so far I've gotten 24 different interpretations from Mexico recordings, you know, including

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all the major labels and from South America Puerto Rico. And, uh I'm still continuing. Would you, would you mind giving me your birthday when you were born? What year? No, not at all. Uh Feb February 9th, 1930 1930. Great. And, and when do you think, what

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year do you think you started writing songs? How old are you? Well, I was nine years old when I started writing and then I kept them and then, uh, when I was 14, that's when, uh, like I, I used to hitchhike from Brownsville. The only recording

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studio was in Alice with Mr Marroquin and he was recording Beto Villa at that time, you know. And so he didn't have any time for me, but his wife came in at the same time and she heard one of the boleros and, and she, uh, had,

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uh, I don't know if you're familiar with Lura Can del Valle? Marto Martinez. Well, he was outside. So Carmen, uh, said, well, let me hear it and she loved it. And then she, uh told, uh, Narciso come over here and he got the recording started playing

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and then she hollers to her husband, you stop that recording and, uh, you've got to get this Vle here and then, uh, he didn't like it very much, you know, because I said, ok, so you sing it me sing it. OK. So then, uh not to

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play the guitar, I mean, the accordion and I left the, uh, record there, you know. And then Marroquin Mole says, well, goodbye. And then I joined the service. And when I was in service, that's when I got the 78. And that was the first one. So

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really uh commercially was it, was it uh recorded by, uh Laura and uh by Car Many, that one was recorded by El Tejano and Betto via, backed them up by due Tejano. Who, who were they? I don't remember who it was a do Tejano, but I

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can't remember their, their name. But that was the first time you had one of your songs recorded. Uh huh. And then afterwards, uh de Ro Diaz Beras which uh later on uh what was the name of the song de Ro Diaz Beras? OK. And uh I

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asked everybody, no, no, no, no, no. So finally, here there used to be a man that had me records. He didn't have anymore, you know, years ago. And then he felt so sorry for him and says, why don't you record it? And I said me, I,

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I don't, I don't sing. So, and uh Isidro Lopez uh no, no, uh was playing and we used to get together, you know, young kids there. So, uh he said, get yourself a group and we recorded. So uh I went ahead and recorded, it came out

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in 78. But at that same time, you know, the man went broke so they couldn't uh get my record and it began to hit not here in Corpus. It was a flop. It started hitting on Tucson some furniture company uh wrote the man and told him

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that he wanted 400 records of, you know, my 78 the one that I had recorded. And after that, this uh one of my musicians came in from uh Reynosa and he said, look what I got here on, on an old 78 RC A Victor Maria Victoria

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with and the rest with history. And the same for Mati. And this all about 10 years ago, I counted in about 6070 artists that recorded this PTI, as a matter of fact, uh uh Mercedes Castro just released an album and it's in the, that there's not

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a year that doesn't go by that somebody doesn't record them. Oh, yeah, that's, that's really, do you, do you remember something about that particular show that the first time you saw Lydia Mendoza? Was she just by herself or was there some other performers on the program?

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Wasn't it? This, this was used to be the Avalon Theater at the Avalon Theater here in Corpo and Corp used to be on, on Brownley Street. And uh I just remember her to me like I told you just like an idol and I just remember her

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beautiful gown, her guitar, but I think she was the only attraction and she had a full house there. This was about 19, just, just before the war or just after the war started. This was in 1950 after the war two, the latter part of 5252. I,

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but they're not, uh, oh, back there when I used to live in the Valley, I had some of her recordings, you know, uh, some in Colombia, some Bluebird. So, like I told you when I got that embrace, I'll never forget it. Oh, that's nice. She is

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an authority. I was gonna ask you, you know, you've known her. So, for how long did you just meet her when, when we recorded here? Oh, no, I had met her. Um, yeah. Now your name, could you, could you give me your name? Pedro Calderon. Pedro

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Calderon. And when did you first meet Lydia? Well, I back in, I, I think about 19 57 or something like that. She came to town. But, uh, I have, I had seen her perform about 1948 when I first saw her perform and it was Cuadro Dread.

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She bought, it was her, her two sisters and one of her brothers, Manuel. I didn't know about Andrew until just now. But, uh, the, the girls put on a show first, you know, and, uh, and the Maria played the piano I remember. Do you, can, you,

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can you give me sort of a detail how that show went. Who, well, who star? Well, uh I remember that, uh, I believe Echo Jose Gonzalez was the master of ceremonies and, uh he was a fan of theirs. But I remember that they first introduced the

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girls. They did their bit, they sang and Maria got down the piano was below the stage. She went down there and she played the piano and they, they sang, you know, that you couldn't get uh Juanita off the stage. She just loved performing. You know, she'd

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smile and, and, and they clap and she, you know, they wanted to go off the stage and she'd motion for them to come back, you know, and then their brother sang with them and when they finished their bit, which lasted maybe half an hour, then they

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presented Lydia because she was a star attraction, you know, and she came, she walked on stage and she was wearing a chin Poblana dress. And at that time, I had known for my parents that she always wore her hair in braids. But that time she was

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wearing a short permanent, I remember vividly and she was wearing a scarf tied around her head, you know, and uh the knot towards the side of her head. And uh she looked beautiful with this Tuna Poblana outfit and her guitar and she sat down, she sang,

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sitting down and uh now in recent years, I've seen her perform standing up, but then she would sit and she just sang, you know, when people scream songs at her, you know, and she kept, she can give a concert if, then, you know, she could give

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a concert that would last an hour song after song and she could still do it, I'm sure. But that was the first time I saw her, I didn't actually meet her until about 1958. I think when she came to town to a dance and I had

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the nerve to walk up to where she was sitting. She was wearing a western style, uh, dress, white dress with a lot of, um, sequins on it and a black trim. And, uh, I, um, I had the nerve to go up and introduce myself to her

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while she was sitting, you know, at this table with, well, with other people and I told her who I was and the fact that I was a fan of hers and that I had a lot of her records and she said, thank you and so forth.

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She said, don't go away before I leave. She said, I'll, I'll give you a picture. So I sat down at another table. I just waited until everything was over, the dance was over. And, uh, and then I went up to her and she looked up and

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I guess for the minute she had forgotten it, she said, oh, your picture. And she took out a picture taken years before. And, uh, she autographed it. And, uh, you know, to me that was, I guess the next thing to heaven because I had to murder

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her for so long. I used to hear her on the radio next door to her house because we didn't have a radio. But Laura Mexicana program was on, they used to have an hour a day or something like that. They play her records and I go

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next door and I sit on the porch and listen to the radio. And I could, I remember Bla Paloma Menza, which I have never heard on a record. I don't know if it was on person or not, but I remember her singing it. And, uh, and

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I remember singing one that's called Auras, Remos, Felis. Those are about the first two that I remember. But going back to that first show, when you saw the, the, the, the family, would the girls sing separately? Like Maria would play the piano and then Juanita was

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up there just singing singing alone. Did, did, did they do any duet singing? Oh, yes, they did it. And I, that's why I cannot remember because I know that Juanita does not play an instrument. Uh All the recordings were done. Maria and Lydia would play the,

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the 12 string guitars, but I have been trying to remember, I think it was her brother that was playing the guitar with Maria if I'm not mistaken because they sang as a duet on stage. You know, and, uh, I imagine they were just starting out if

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this was, uh, was in 48 it had to be. So, because I, I, or maybe even, maybe even 47 it could have been but it was right after the war, you think? Oh, yes, because I was 13 or 14 years actually. Yeah, in San Antonio, I

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think. But, um, that, that was the last, and then Lydia I didn't see Lydia here for a long time. Was your mother there too? No, I didn't, I don't know. On the stage, I didn't, I never did know. Uh I knew the lady's name and later

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I found that because a lot of the things that the girls recorded and that Lida recorded have as author's name, Leonora Mendoza. And when I finally got to talk to Lydia, I asked her who Leonora Mendoza was and she said she was my mother and she

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had had a lot of songs, you know that they had recorded for her. But uh in 19, let's see, you were in 70 ok. This was, had to be in 19 70 or 69. No, no. But in 1969 when she came to the mother, she came

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two times that year one for Easter Sunday that Domingo Pena gave a dance free. So nobody went but I was there, you know, and I just saw her. I, I didn't, I didn't go up to her or anything but then she came back on Mother's Day,

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you know, and that was that award the for you and her, that was in February of 76. Yes. Uh huh. Yeah, we recorded the album in 75. You can take over, you know, about the, the album, you know, we talked to the telephone. Uh, and I

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said, did, would you be interested in recording an album? All, uh you know, my song, she said, just let me know when and, uh, would you believe it that, uh, she came in about what time? Some, sometime in the af, in the afternoon? And, uh, my

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wife picked her up and then she stayed with, uh, with us overnight. Now, something that really struck me was that I gave her the 12 songs only one which is born in Uno Tivo. Did she know the others? She had never heard, she practiced them that

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night. Now, can you imagine, uh, 11 songs that you had to learn the following day? I was tied up and then, uh, Pedro and my wife, uh, we want to record here to Gregory. And I said, well, I'm gonna be there. Uh, y'all go, go ahead

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and, uh, then I'll be at the studio later on. And I said, well, I wonder if she's gonna have trouble, you know, with all the, all that many songs. And, uh, by the time I got there, do you realize that she recorded the whole album? And

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they only stopped one time and it was not because she made a mistake. It's because one of the words in the song was written wrong. But she, no retakes from the very beginning. And Pete, you can go on from there as far as the recording session.

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That's a nice too. I mean, she's absolutely, has an amazing memory for songs. I couldn't, I couldn't get over it and she did not forget a single word. Well, there was one other stop when she broke that string. Remember she was, she, she, she stopped singing

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and she just said, I broke a string, you know, so we had to stop, but we had, we rehearsed them. But in actual recording time it took about three hours for her to record 12 songs. And she now, uh, some of them, uh, if I remember

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correctly are held for her, but the tune with the music wasn't written on there. Just the words, you know, she, she had the melody in her, in her mind already. How did she get the tune? Well, we, we, we, I made a, I made a tape

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of because all these had been recorded before by someone or another. So I made a tape of the, of the, of the, of the records. Yes. And she learned them from there and I wrote down on paper all the words to the songs and I told

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her who was singing it and everything that she said, she hadn't had a chance to listen to the tape. And then that night that she stayed at our house, that's when she was listening to the tape. So, really, she learned everything as far as I know

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in one whole night. And to me, and I understand that she's still pick him up. Well, you know, those, those two, singles, those 278 that she could for you, you know, she learned them that night when you wrote it, I wrote, I have to write two

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because she said I could with a couple of words, you know, this is Arnaldo Ramirez at Falcone Records who recorded Lydia and of course, Mendoza sisters also, um, how did she happen to run into her? You know? Well, I, uh, not a question of running into

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her. She was, uh, she was pretty well known. I looked for her. I running to her. I, uh, I remember when I was a youngster actually going back. Uh, I don't know how old, uh Lydia is but I think that she started recording, uh, when she

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was 17, uh, with RC A or she started singing at 15. This is the regulation that I've got. And I know that I go way back into my youth when, uh, when, uh, the song Malore was heard all over Malore was, uh, I guess, you know,

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that, that was her, that was the first record she made and it's also her biggest hit. Her biggest hit, then she hit others like Celosia and some of those others. But anyway, she uh she was an institution. I mean, I had a lot of respect and

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admiration for her. Uh even before I even thought of getting into the record business. So when I had a chance to uh touch base with her and, and approach her on the possibility of recording for me, for me, it was uh really, really something an opportunity

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and uh she did defraud me because on the first release, the one that you mentioned number 97 I can't forget that number Beano La Cruz by the composer Chucho Monge. And the other side flip side, Angel De Misano, that was by a composer from San Antonio.

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Uh But anyway, Besan La Cruz was the bay head. And I remember in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. Boy, that's where most of the uh uh the uh success of the record started, right in, in that area, in that region. Of course, then it, it became a

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standard with us in Carlo. I mean, for a long time and uh later, many years afterwards when I uh recorded Lydia again. II, I recorded that number again with her, you know, and, and, and you, you, you will probably find it in one of her later.

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But that was a, a rerecording. I was not using the old man. No, no, of course, I don't think so. I probably, you're probably right it was easier than, I don't think so. Let me take a look at some of the actions. Here I go to

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Colombia. I used to go at least once a year because we didn't have uh quite a number of releases of ours in Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador and Central America and Lydia Mendoza. I was, I was really uh very pleasantly uh surprised when I found that Lydia

00:23:38.589 - 00:23:52.160

Mendoza was, was pretty well known in Colombia. The fact is about, she went to Colombia, I think maybe about four years ago that she, she went very recently, she told me I got, I got some clippings from that. This friend of mine sent to me from

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Colombia when, when she was over there. And I got this particular friend of mine, uh, who's an old, old timer within the record industry. I thought, see if he couldn't provide me with, with some of the, uh, the, uh, well, your authentic Colombian music, your, uh

00:24:11.640 - 00:24:28.680

the oldest. So he had most of these for me, which I gave to Lydia too. This, this was specially made for uh Colombia market for that market there. And, uh, but, and, and I guess you recorded her quite a, quite a number of times. It, it,

00:24:28.689 - 00:24:45.369

it, it shows throughout the years, I guess ever since throughout the years, she would, she would go, I guess she, she, she was uh recording for, for everybody. She was in demand. And, uh I still, I, I think I mentioned this, uh, I have about three

00:24:45.380 - 00:25:02.540

op that I had released. Oh, really? You said three? The time has not been the proper time. Yeah, it's hard to sell records right now. It is, it is three years ago. Uh, maybe we could have taken a chance, but right now it's, yeah, we gotta

00:25:02.550 - 00:25:16.989

be very, we have a lot of stuff that we haven't released, that we recorded some time ago and, and I believe that we got uh, uh some good, good recording with Lya. I, I've, I've been thinking on, on coming out one of these days with, with

00:25:17.000 - 00:25:29.250

some of the stuff that we've got. Do, do you, do you, do you, do you by any chance recall the, the first time you ever saw her live perform when you were a youngster or something? Whether she ever came down here? Yeah. You know, I, uh,

00:25:29.479 - 00:25:47.770

let me see if I can, you know where the Rio Theater in Mission is where, uh, it's, it's, it was, it was declared a historical uh institution building. Well, II, I was born and I lived all my life 22 doors next, I, I was living on

00:25:47.780 - 00:26:04.040

the corner and the, uh, the theater was constructed in 1913, I think it was by Spaniard that came to men and he was the, uh, the one that built this theater in 1913. He also had as far as I can remember. It's called the, the Real

00:26:04.050 - 00:26:28.390

Theater Theater. It is now, uh, it's being converted into a, uh, into an art exhibit, uh, thing. So, it's called. So it's on, uh, on Doherty right there in Mission on. Do do, yeah. Real theater. So you'll, you'll find probably so Xoxoch, I, they left out

00:26:28.400 - 00:26:44.599

the T and just so I get it and, uh, see, I used to be, uh, watch all the artists, you know, that would be coming in because that was a theater. It was not a movie house, it was a theater and they had a lot of

00:26:44.609 - 00:26:58.949

uh these troops stage shows and they would, they would come in uh uh these old troops will stay for, for a couple of weeks, three weeks a month, they would stay in the area and present all of these dramas and comedies and all live. It's all

00:26:58.959 - 00:27:16.854

theater. And then that's when I was exposed to, to a lot of these artists, there was another artist from San Antonio whom I also recorded uh arturo Vasquez, the pianist. Now he, he also was one of the uh of the originals in San Antonio together with

00:27:16.864 - 00:27:35.920

Lydia Mendoza. And uh Eva Garza. Eva Garza is an old because she's, she's dead already. She married uh Charro Hill from, from Mexico. But I go back to those times and my brother was a pianist. And when all the artists from San Antonio, see, San Antonio

00:27:35.930 - 00:27:49.569

was the center of, of artists actually was it actually, it came mostly from San Antonio, from Mexico, from San, from San Antonio. And they would come in through the valley and my brother as a pianist would, they knew that he was here so he would go

00:27:49.579 - 00:28:03.974

with them, you know, accompany as an a company. Of course, in the case of Lida Mendoza, that was the whole family. I I that's when I, you're asking me when I, I, the first time I saw him was with the whole family, with Dona Leonor, also

00:28:03.984 - 00:28:19.655

Dona Leonor and also Liz's husband, Juan Juan. Could you, could you, I believe was his, what was his? I can't, could you possibly describe to me how that show went or what you remember of it? Well, it was, I mean, she was it La Alondra de

00:28:19.665 - 00:28:40.000

la Frontera. Uh I remember uh one time that uh well, let me repeat myself. She was it one time she came here and, and she broke all records uh of people going in to see her. How, how, how old were you? But then you think, well,

00:28:40.010 - 00:28:54.755

I guess I was uh I would say I was a teenager. I was a teenager and you were about nine. I was born in 1919 18. So this is 20 about 34. That's about the time she was making her first hits. Yeah. 36 or something like

00:28:54.775 - 00:29:14.369

that. But she came and Arturo Vasquez, this other fellow that I'm mentioning they were really, uh, hits and hit artists. So I remember the whole, the whole family also. Juan would go come with them and, uh, Mrs Leonard and Juanita and Maria and Lydia. Uh huh.

00:29:14.380 - 00:29:33.680

So, uh, they were really something, yeah, they were really something incredible. Huh? I, uh, hear that she was coming to the Valley here, uh, since she was here recently, wasn't she, can you remember anything about how Lydia would get her songs or did, did, did you

00:29:33.689 - 00:29:48.525

give her the songs or did I, uh, most of the songs I gave? But I, I was, uh, of course, uh I was also surprised at the, at the, uh, the number of songs that, that she, that she had from way back. I mean, she would

00:29:48.535 - 00:30:03.430

remember and, and, uh, she had no, I mean, just about any song that you could think of, she knew she knew it. But then she was also very fast in learning new songs because I, I gave her a lot of original material. I don't know this,

00:30:03.439 - 00:30:14.609

for example, I gave her all of this. How would you, for example, give it to her? Would it be on a piece of paper or would you put it on the eyes? You just remember? I think I would or would you sing it for her or

00:30:14.619 - 00:30:31.430

something? Uh We go, I don't know, but she was quick anyway, sometimes she would come in and, and, and learn it right here. That's what I heard. You learn it right here. Yes. Yes. Oh, she's quite, she's quite an institution within the recording industry. San Antonio,

00:30:32.560 - 00:30:54.089

I, I used to, uh, to make 33 spots as the, the main centers of, uh Spanish speaking or whatever artist that was Monterey Dival in San Antonio. But San Antonio actually, I think that you could go farther back and, and get AAA bigger variety of artists.

00:30:56.270 - 00:31:15.735

Eva Garza was also, she was a singer, very popular singer and those that she went to record in, in with c records, those labels that were going very strong in New York from New York. Yeah. But she, she played the piano. Somebody did, you know it,

00:31:15.786 - 00:31:30.416

it was more, it was a different, a little bit different category of music, wasn't it? I mean, who's that? Oh, no, no, I'm sorry. No, I thought you were talking about Lydia. No, Eva Eva, I don't know that she played the piano at all, sang, sang.

00:31:30.536 - 00:31:53.102

She married this Charro Charo Hill who had a very popular. OK, let me give you some interesting background. This was caporal but his capes were uh Chucho Navarro and Alfredo Hill who later became Los Panchos in New York. You see they got into uh an internal,

00:31:53.141 - 00:32:11.760

you know, problem and, and they, they left him. Charro Hill married Deva Grez in San Antonio and Chucho Navarro and Alfredo Hill, they went to New York looking for you know, something make it. Yeah, that's when my brother Rafael met him. See, my brother Rafael goes

00:32:11.770 - 00:32:26.890

back to that. My brother had been in New York before that. Uh my brother went out there and got some of his songs recorded with the, uh Cubans and the uh Puerto Ricans, which was hard to do. Yeah. Uh Anyway, that's where he met Los Panchos

00:32:26.900 - 00:32:47.650

in 47 or I think it was around 47. And uh and that's where Los Panchos met. Uh uh No, no, the, the uh the Puerto Rican that then was, was part of their uh Hernando Veles, their first voice. Anyway, Charo Hill married Eva Garza and then

00:32:47.660 - 00:33:01.579

Eva Garza was a singer on the, she went to, after she had made some record here, she went to Mexico and started recording, I don't know, for, for, for her company, but then she died later on, but she left the song Felipe Hill was pretty popular

00:33:01.589 - 00:33:17.569

in Mexico right now. So there's, you know, all of that stemming out of San Antonio. She also came out of San Antonio. Yes, I think we got a recording and LP with her picture on the jacket that Rafael used to keep. But, but, but, but you,

00:33:17.579 - 00:33:34.089

you, you, you feel Lydia Lydia's music was, well, it was more to the common people than, than, well, you know, actually Lydia's music was international. I mean, this, this uh uh very simple sound with her guitar I don't know how many strings. She had a lot

00:33:34.099 - 00:33:53.213

of, a lot of strings and she had this particular sound and nobody, you know, as soon as she started uh hitting on those train, you know, with Lida Mendoza, Villa Mendoza. And there's always this particular songs that would cater to a, to any audience. That's how

00:33:53.223 - 00:34:13.575

she was popular in, in, in South America, Colombia. And actually Colombia has a lot of uh similarity in their songs to the Mexican uh song, the romantic song. The, but anyway, she uh she was, you know, she was an international artist as far as I'm concerned.

00:34:13.585 - 00:34:28.416

Not only to the, oh, she would say, you know, one of her songs, she says, I'm La Canciones de Los Pobres. Cancion Nada Mas is one of her songs that she composed. The singer of the poor. I'm just a singer. That's all. Or heck she cater

00:34:28.426 - 00:34:46.618

uh uh to more people than just the poor. I can assure you that because her records are now sold all over Spanish, all over, all over. She was, I mean, when you get uh singing, I mean, uh selling your sons with the Puerto Ricans. Uh you,

00:34:46.628 - 00:35:02.899

you're really actually going over or you, you, you're going over the fence, you know, really? Because that, that's a different type of uh the, the feelings are different in their, in their music, their music. Yes. But then all of the Spanish speaking go to the basics

00:35:02.909 - 00:35:20.489

which is once you get to that come denominator, in which Lydia Mendoza had this uh talent to reach the come denominator. Then he would sell to the Puerto Ricans himself. You know, we have AAA group, an accordion group, Alere Terran who also broke that barrier. See,

00:35:20.500 - 00:35:35.399

when, when we first started with the accordion thing and nobody wanted those Accordions. They thought it was trash. I mean, we couldn't sell one. We, we couldn't give it away. Alere Terran came in and actually they broke the barrier and they opened the doors for all

00:35:35.409 - 00:35:55.860

accordion music. And in, in South America A de Terran is one of the well known international artists. So, like Lydia Mendoza, the Alere De Terran also became internationally known and accepted because they've got something, they have something that, uh, that can transcend, it can go beyond

00:35:56.090 - 00:37:23.949

your local, uh, feelings or your local taste. That's good. I really appreciate the by more. Look, there you go. Yeah, my bye. I, the, yeah. Hello. I mean, when I