Who was/is Tito Guizár & His El Rancho Rocks ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
Tito Guizár & His El Rancho Rocks
Tito Guizár’s immense popularity in Mexico swept over to the U.S. and nicknamed him “The Guadalajara Troubadour.” Tito was born Federico Arturo Guizár Tolentino on April 8, 1908 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Guizár started singing at a very early age, allegedly already focusing on serenad- ing the pretty girls of Guadalajara. Tito’s uncle recognized his voice and talent and sent him to Milan, Italy to study op- era and operetta with Pasqual Amato. This gave Guizár the start to a professional career upon his return to Mexico in the mid-1920s with subsequent operetta engagements. Tito be- came Mexico’s shooting star, and he also reached the U.S. market with his ballad singing talents. Before he could even speak a word of English, Guizar found himself on his way to New York in 1929 to perform in Man- hattan and to record songs by Augustin Lara.
He later toured in Texas, making San Antonio his home base, and finally arrived in Hollywood, starring in the movie ‘Tropic Holiday’ alongside Dorothy Lamour. Guizár recorded many 78s for Tito Guizár with Martha Raye in 'Tropic Holiday,' 1938 Victor/RCA Victor between 1936 and 1945 and signed to Mercury Records in 1946 but returned to RCA in ’49. Among his biggest sellers are such classics as Alla En El Rancho Grande and the original version of Guadalajara (which Elvis Presley covered in early 1963 for his ‘Fun In Acapulco’ movie soundtrack), as well as Cielito Lindo and his rock and roll adaption of La Paloma, which he brought from Italy.
Attracted to the new rock and roll sound, Tito formed his own band, El Rancho Rocks, in late 1956 and cut singles for the Saphire, Seeco, and El Chico labels between 1957 and 1960. With all of his countless broadcasts, films and personal appearances following his initial rise to fame, Guizár has con- tributed vastly to the internationalizing of Latin song. His va- riety of different music styles, from operetta to rock and roll, always soundmarked with Guizár’s distinctive brand, made him an outstanding figure in the history of entertainment. Guizár died on December 24, 1999 in his San Antonio home.
Marc Mittelacher in August 2020
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