“The Trail of Tejano Legends” is a project of the Austin Latino Music Association (ALMA) that seeks to provide recognition to several local Latino musicians who have been a part of Austin’s music scene since the 1940’s and 1950’s.  In some instances, the selected artists continue to perform to this date.  Many of these artists were/are recognized inside and outside of Austin and, in some instances, have received very prestigious awards.  All of these artists at one time or another lived in East Austin, and so this proposal will help to highlight the contribution of these East Austin artists and thus to preserve this part of East Austin’s rich cultural history in a unique and exciting way.  The Trail of Tejano Legends will help to highlight artists that contributed to Austin’s live music scene long before Austin became know as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”

ALMA’s specific proposal is to name the City facilities outlined below for the specified artists and/or community members:

(A)  Name the Mexican American Cultural Center located at 600 River St. for the Perez and Ramos Families that include among them the band leaders Ruben Ramos, Alfonso Ramos, Ruben Perez and Ernest Perez.

(B)  Re-name Festival Beach Road located just North of Town Lake and just East of I-35 for the band leader Nash Hernandez.

(C)  Name the Fiesta Gardens Pavilion located near the Western boundary of Fiesta Gardens at 1901 Bergman St. for the band leader Johnny Degollado.

(D)  Name the Fiesta Gardens East Meeting Hall located at 2101 Bergman St. for the band leader Manuel “Cowboy” Donley.

(E)  Name the Town Lake Scenic Overlook located near the intersection of Canterbury St. and Pleasant Valley Road for the band leader Roy Montelongo.

(F)  Name the Medina St. Plaza to be built on the Medina right-of-way located between E. 5th St. and E. 6th St. and South of the alley for business and civic leader Roy Velasquez and band leader Matt Velasquez.  Roy and Matt Velasquez are brothers.

Click here to see a map that displays the location of the specific City facilities that are part of ALMA’s proposal.

Click here for a biographical synopsis of the highlighted musicians.

We feel strongly that the establishment of “The Trail of Tejano Legends” will bring much pride to East Austin and to the community as whole.  “The Trail of Tejano Legends” will also serve as a tourist attraction for visitors to Austin who may not be aware of the contributions of these artists or of this aspect of Austin’s live music scene.  Because “The Trail of Tejano Legends” connects the Mexican American Cultural Center and the Cepeda Music Garden, it will help to draw attention to these important community resources.

To express your support for the proposal to establish “The Trail of Tejano Legends,” please send an email message to City Council Member Raul Alvarez at raul.alvarez@ci.austin.tx.us

Council Member Alvarez will share your letters of support with the Mayor and the other City Council Members.