Chicano or Chicana is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans who have a non-Anglo self-image, embracing their Mexican Native ancestry. Chicano was originally a classist and racist slur used toward low-income Mexicans that was reclaimed in the 1940s among youth who belonged to the Pachuco and Pachuca subculture. In the 1960s, Chicano was widely reclaimed in the building of a movement toward political empowerment, ethnic solidarity, and pride in being of indigenous descent. Chicano developed its own meaning separate from Mexican American identity. Youth in barrios rejected cultural assimilation into whiteness and embraced their own identity and worldview as a form of empowerment and resistance. The community forged an independent political and cultural movement, sometimes working alongside the Black power movement.
Chicano rock, also called chicano fusion, is rock music performed by Mexican American (Chicano) groups or music with themes derived from Chicano culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of these groups do not sing in Spanish at all, or use many specific Latin instruments or sounds. The subgenre is defined by the ethnicity of its performers, and as a result covers a wide range of approaches.
Thee Midniters were an American rock group, among the first Chicano rock bands to have a major hit in the United States. They were one of the best known acts to come out of East Los Angeles in the 1960s, with a cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" that charted in Canada in 1965, and an instrumental track "Whittier Boulevard" in 1965. Thee Midniters were among the first rock acts to openly sing about Chicano themes in songs such as "Chicano Power" and "The Ballad of César Chávez" in the late 1960s.
Latin rock is a term to describe a subgenre blending traditional sounds and elements of Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean folk with rock music. However, it is widely used in the English-language media to refer any kind of rock music featuring Spanish or Portuguese vocals. This has led to controversy about the scope of the terminology.
Chicano English, or Mexican-American English, is a dialect of American English spoken primarily by Mexican Americans, particularly in the Southwestern United States ranging from Texas to California, as well as in Chicago. Chicano English is sometimes mistakenly conflated with Spanglish, which is a mixing of Spanish and English; however, Chicano English is a fully formed and native dialect of English, not a "learner English" or interlanguage. It is even the native dialect of some speakers who know little to no Spanish, or have no Mexican heritage.
The Chicano Moratorium, formally known as the National Chicano Moratorium Committee Against The Vietnam War, was a movement of Chicano anti-war activists that built a broad-based coalition of Mexican-American groups to organize opposition to the Vietnam War. Led by activists from local colleges and members of the Brown Berets, a group with roots in the high school student movement that staged walkouts in 1968, the coalition peaked with a August 29, 1970 march in East Los Angeles that drew 30,000 demonstrators. The march was described by scholar Lorena Oropeza as "one of the largest assemblages of Mexican Americans ever." It was the largest anti-war action taken by any single ethnic group in the USA. It was second in size only to the massive U.S. immigration reform protests of 2006.
Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero was an American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on later Latin musical artists.
Cannibal & the Headhunters were an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. They were one of the first Mexican-American groups to have a national hit record, "Land of a Thousand Dances", recorded on the Rampart label. They were the opening act on The Beatles' second American tour, backed up by the King Curtis band. They played at the historic Shea Stadium concert from August 15 to August 30, during the 1965 tour that was headlined by The Beatles.
El Chicano was an American brown-eyed soul group from Los Angeles, California, whose style incorporated various modern music genres including rock, funk, soul, blues, jazz, and salsa. The group's name was from Chicano, a term for United States citizens of typically Mexican descent.
Los Illegals is an American Chicano punk band from Los Angeles.
Little Ray also known as Ray Jimenez, is an American Chicano rock and brown-eyed soul musician, prominent in the 1960s. Jimenez was born and raised in Delano, California, and later moved to East Los Angeles.
Brown-eyed soul, also referred to as Chicano soul, Hispanic soul, or Latino soul, is soul music & rhythm & blues (R&B) performed in the United States mainly by Hispanic Latinos and Chicanos in Southern California, East Los Angeles, and San Antonio (Texas) during the 1960s, continuing through to the early 1980s. The trend of Latinos started with Latino rock and roll and rock musicians. "Brown-eyed soul" contrasts with blue-eyed soul, soul music performed by non-Hispanic white artists.
The Premiers were an American garage band in the 1960s, best known for their 1964 hit, "Farmer John."
Thee Mr. Duran Show is a variety television show. The show is hosted by Richard Duran, and currently films at the LVTV Channel 3 Studio on the campus of the University of La Verne in La Verne, California. Episodes premiere live online at the show's official website, in addition to airing on Public-access television cable TV Channel 3 in the La Verne and San Dimas area, in select viewing areas on Time Warner Cable. The show originally debuted at East L.A. Community Television in November 2000, before relocating to KCAT in March 2004, whose studio was located on the campus of Glen A. Wilson High School. Thee Mr. Duran Show made its debut on LVTV in October 2009, following the closing of the KCAT Television operations in March 2009. Thee Mr. Duran Show routinely features one live band, performing for approximately 30 minutes, and one to two speaking guests. The use of "Thee" in the title is an homage to the 1960s Chicano rock bands out of East L.A., where Duran grew up, such as Thee Midniters.
Mark & the Escorts was an American rock and roll band from Los Angeles, California.
Bobby Espinosa was an influential and important part of the Latin rock scene in Los Angeles from the late 1960s to the 2000s. He was a founding member of El Chicano.
Rudy Salas 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.
Edward Louis "Eddie" Davis was an American singer, record producer and record label owner who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. He is an important part of the Los Angeles music scene for that period, especially in the history of Mexican-American rock music.
The Romancers were an American Chicano rock band from the Eastside Los Angeles who were active in the 1960s. The Romancers were the first East L.A. Chicano band to record an album and were the main influence of the mid-sixties East L.A. sound. The band made two albums on Del-Fi Records and a string of singles for Eddie Davis' Linda label. Max Uballez was the group's leader, chief songwriter, and rhythm guitarist.
Mayfair is a neighborhood of San Jose, California, located in the Alum Rock district of East San Jose. It is one of San Jose's most historic Chicano/Mexican-American districts and noted for being a center of the Chicano Movement and grassroots activists like Californian civil rights leader César Chávez.
