A lakeside native who raised his family in Sacramento, California is realizing his dreams of sharing his Mexican ballads with the world.
Alfredo Gonzalez was born in Tuxcueca on the south side of Lake Chapala and started penning romantic verses as a child. At the time, he had no idea his future wife lived just a boat-ride across the lake in Chapala.
His family later moved to Guadalajara and then on to California in the late 1950s as Gonzalez’s father went to work as a manual laborer during the bracero program.
All the while, Gonzalez continued writing his verses, at times on small notes and napkins. He met his wife at ESL, or English as a Second Language, classes in Sacramento, when he heard her talking about the lake they both grew up alongside as children, his daughter Maria Watts said.
His wife inspired his writings and when the couple had children, music remained a part of their life, as did a connection with their roots in Guadalajara.“Growing up with him as kids, I just remember music being a big part of it,” Watts said. On their birthday mornings, Watts remembers her father singing “Las Mañanitas,” the traditional Mexican birthday song, for his children.
He always told his family he’d one day put the words to music, though Watts said her father’s dream always seemed a bit farfetched.
But then, in 2005, upon accumulating a hefty folder of original work, he surprised the family after returning from a trip to Guadalajara. He revealed that a relative had put him in touch with a band there and finally his songs became a reality.
Together with that band, called Mariachi Cuauhtemoc, Gonzalez recorded an album called “Tuxcueca mi Tierra,” named for his homeland near Lake Chapala. As for how Gonzalez was able to relate to the musicians how he wanted his music to sound, Watts said he just hummed the tunes and the band helped bring his vision to life.
For his 80th birthday earlier in November, Watts said his children decided to surprise him by launching a website, www.tuxcuecamitierra.com, along with a Facebook and Twitter page, to help him share his music. Watts also reached out to the media to spread her father’s story.
Sure enough, National Public Radio’s Latino USA show was interested enough in his story that it will broadcast his music this weekend. He was also featured in a story in the Sacramento Bee newspaper and Watts said the Spanish-language network Univision planned to join the family while they celebrate Thanksgiving.
Judging by the response, Gonzalez’s music and story is striking a chord with people. Right now, his songs are available only through digital download, but so many people have requested physical CDs, Watts said the family has begun making them and they’ll be available December 10.