BoxRec

kikibalt wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Still going on
by soledadenmasa


I grew up listening to music in Spanish, mostly anything with a mariachi, banda, or conjunto norteño, never even hearing those “oldies” organic to Los Angeles. I’ve had a musical exploration reverse to many people my age or of previous generations. Many I know grew up listening to music in English and started to explore music from México or Latin America later in life (if they ever did), while I started to explore music in English when I was about fourteen. Even now, I mostly listen to and explore different music from México, but that’s due to me playing in mariachis for the past eight years.

Imagine my surprise yesterday when a post over at Guanabee came up on my RSS feed. I scour the internet for news relating to mariachi, especially this week, when the San José Mariachi and Latin Music Festival is on. [During mariachi festival time, new & interesting things come to light, like Rubén Fuentes, longtime former member and director of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (64 years and counting), and songwriter extraordinaire, gave an interview (he is very reclusive) and stated that the future of mariachi music was in the United States.] One of the festival’s concerts, last night’s, was headlined by Ersi Arvizu, a name I did not recognize. As I read on, however, it became clear I already knew who she was.

Some of her biography seems exceptional, yet refreshingly relatable:

Arvizu grew up in East L.A., on the other side of the bridge, in a neighborhood known by its ruling street gang’s name, Maravilla. At an early age, her mother, who struggled to keep her six children safe — which meant close-by – taught her and her brothers and sisters how to play guitar and blend their voices singing. “Mostly ranchera and mariachi style,” Arvizu remembers. “We would go to parties to sing and I could remember that my feet didn’t even hit the ground. But I was always wanting to rush through the song so I can go out to play – dodge ball, kick the can, football with the guys.” Eventually they were singing before fights at the Olympic Auditorium, the stage, at show’s conclusion, littered with money — bills and coins. By high school, three of the sisters – Ersi and her siblings Rosella and Mary – would eventually become known beyond the borders of East L.A. “The Sisters” singing at dances at the El Monte Legion Stadium or the Paramount Ballroom or afternoon parties around East L.A.

Her father trained boxers in their backyard and she would at times watch them practice. She even boxed a few times after her musical career ended in the 70s. For those who care, she had four knockouts.

After performing in a string of ensembles post-The Sisters – a series of garage bands and then a spot singing with a band called the Village Callers, Arvizu was lured away to a group called, the V.I.P.s who would soon come to be known as El Chicano. Ersi sang on the band’s second, non-instrumental album, “Revolucion” – which featured “Sabor a Mí” and “I’m a Good Woman,” both of which, in their own ways, evolved into Eastside anthems. But soon after, she parted ways with the band. “Too much drinking, too much drugs, too much, too much . . .” all around her. “I couldn’t take all of that.”

After reading this, I knew exactly who she was. Thousands of people, both young and old, had danced, kissed, fallen in love and enjoyed life to the smoothness of her voice in the past thirty years, yet her name had remained a complete unknown to me. After ending her musical career, she moved to Arizona and worked there for years, until a few years ago, Ry Cooder found her to sing in his album Chávez Ravine and later collaborated with her to record her recent album, Friend for Life.

Though I still prefer the Mariachi America version of “Sabor a mí” (because Arturo Vargas [lead singer in the video] is god), El Chicano’s sound and her voice are perfectly complementary and provide a soundtrack for far too many memories of Los Angeles.

Image taken from Ersi Arvizu’s MySpace page.

Great story, Frank! Something caught my eye at the end, about Ry Cooder finding her to sing on his album, "Chavez Ravine". I'm going to drift off this story for a moment to ask you, do you remember what Chavez Ravine was like prior to Walter O'Malley building Dodger Stadium? The Stadium opened and became home to the Dodgers in 1962. I have a friend, in his late 60's, who grew up there. The family was displaced when the bulldozers came to make room for the ball park.

-Rick

Rick...I knew "Chavez Ravine" real good before the Dodgers moved in. the barrio at the ravine was called "Palo's Verde", my wife's paternal side of the family lived in Palo's Verde, before I met Connie, as a young teenager I used to go to partys there, and at one party I met a girl that turned out be Connie's cousin, this girl and I had a thing going and you can imagine my surprise when after Connie and I had been married for about 5 years and at a famliy reunion on her father's side she introduce me to her cousin Annie, Annie died years ago...

Ersi Arvizu's dad, Art Arvizu was the manager/trainer of Danny Valdez, Danny fought Davey Moore for the FW title, Danny also fought Boots Monroe, Gil Cadilli, Dwight Hawkins et.al.

kikibalt wrote:

Boxingnut wrote:Just like to wish everyone on this thread a Merry Christmas, hope you have a peaceful holiday. I read this thread every day and love reading all the stories and looking at the photos, long may it continue!

Happy Holidays to you Rob.

Don't forget what I told you....

Boxingnut wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Boxingnut wrote:Just like to wish everyone on this thread a Merry Christmas, hope you have a peaceful holiday. I read this thread every day and love reading all the stories and looking at the photos, long may it continue!

Happy Holidays to you Rob.

Don't forget what I told you....

It's my new years resolution Frank!! :)

kikibalt wrote:At "El Mercadito"
Circa early 1990's


(L-to-R) Me, my mom, dad, gent in the white hat is not with us, James, his then wife Vivian and Connie. having menudo.

dagosd2000 wrote:Rick and Frank
Since we're speaking Valdez,how about Bobby Valdez? Saw him fight Petey Gonzalez in San Diego. When they call it the "Sweet Science" Bobby could have been their role model. I know he gave "Gato" a rough time. Didn't see their fights though.

dagosd2000 wrote:SUNRISE CHRISTMAS

"Son usados",I told the Federale with the ski mask and holding the M 16.
"No care. Can't bring. Contra la ley."
So this SOB with the machine gun pulls me over and brings me to the office and tells me I'm breaking the law bringing used toys and clothes into Mexico. If the stuff was new I'd be breaking the law too. They really rev up this crap up around Christmas because they know a lot of people bring gifts into Mexico. My problem was I had TOO MANY gifts.

But I've got a counter. I show him my old badge when I worked at CETYs,the mucky muck private school in Otay. Then I drop some names.
"Senor Fimbres told me no problema. Si Hay problema with you I call Senor Fimbres on telephone."
The Fimbres family owns the school and the biggest chain of super markets in Baja--Cali Max. I can hear this dude snort from under his ski mask.
"Pasale."
He lets me proceed. I'm thinking this jerk is going to have to find someone else to shake down for a gift for his mistress.

I told you the procedure. I find a house in poor neighborhood with a lot of kids in front and play Santa. This time things turned out differently. I thought my van had a flat so I pulled off to a side street right along the fence. Turns out the tire was OK.I look down the street and I see this big sanitainer with a woman and a kid standing next to it. Then the woman climbs inside the sanitainer. I figure this is where I come down the chimeny.
"Senora,que haces?"
The woman pops up from the container. Her clothes are all greasy as is her hair. Her boy is looking at me with no expression.She tells me she's looking for something to eat.
"Donde vives?"I ask.
She says she lives in the street. The sanitainer is her commodity for survival. Anything thrown in there she finds a purpose.

I tell her I want to help. I ask her if this is her son. She says the boy is her son and that she has two more children who are with their father on another street digging into another sanitainer. I told her to get in the van with her son and take me to where the rest of her family was.

Around the corner I saw a man ,dirty and greasy with two little ones in similar condition. "Todo es para ti."
I opened the side door of the van. They grabbed it all. Some others came out and were watching. I figured it would work out all right.
"Senor,"said the woman."Gracias. Muchas gracias."
Her kids were holding toys. Her husband put on one of the jackets. The woman had a blouse in her hand. There was nothing for me to say.
"Senor,"said the husband. "Eres un regalo de Dios."

Well now I'm a gift from God. I don't think so,but I do know that that big Federale didn't get any gifts from me to give to his girlfiend. The big dumb son of a bitch. Old man Fimbres dropped dead 4 months ago.

kikibalt wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:

kikibalt wrote:"A DAY IN EL MERCADITO"
EAST LOS


El Mercado de Los Angeles


Neighborhood: Boyle Heights 3425 E. 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90063 323-268-3451


This bustling three-story marketplace of Mexican food and wares is more endearingly
known by the diminutive El Mercadito. Find all sorts of uncommon equipment and
apparel, specialized cookware and toothsome sundries at one of the many stalls.
Painted mariachis along the top façade are the first hint of the main attraction inside.
The third floor houses two restaurants, each with mariachi bands which duke it out at
raging full tilt.

Frank, looks like that's right around 1st. St. & Soto? There is an old band stand, like you used to see in parks, right in the town square sort of. I would go to a place nearby where they had great tamales, and across the street was a sporting goods store where they sell the Mexican boxing equipment I preferred, and next door to that was a bakery where I could by things I couldn't find in other neighborhoods. A bar across the street from that, and it was easy to talk about boxing in there with people who knew what they were talking about. I'm a gringo with a special place in my heart for East Los Angeles. Thanks to boxing, I've met the best friends of my life.

-Ricardo

Rick...El Mercadito is on 1st. St , between Lorena and Indiana.

Rick Farris wrote:

dagosd2000 wrote:Rick and Frank
Since we're speaking Valdez,how about Bobby Valdez? Saw him fight Petey Gonzalez in San Diego. When they call it the "Sweet Science" Bobby could have been their role model. I know he gave "Gato" a rough time. Didn't see their fights though.

Roger . . . I was an early Bobby Valdez fan. 12 of his first 13 pro fights were held in L.A.and I saw all of them. His win over Crawford, his draw with Richie Sue, the El Gato fights, and more. I also saw world champ Hiroshi Kobayashi drop him face down before stopping him in the 7th round. I still remember the round without help from Boxrec. However, the greatest fight I've ever seen, one I'll never forget, was the 1967 Olympic Auditorium "Fight of the Year", between Bobby Valdez and my stablemate/future trainer, Dwight Hawkins. The fight was declared a draw, rightfully. Hawkins went to the canvas for a brief moment in the first, and from then on waged the most brutal attack on a fighter ever. Duran had nothing on Dwight Hawkins when it came to dishing out a brutal beating, especially to the body. Both were battered and bloody at the end, but the Hawk took something out of Valdez and I'm surprised he continued on. Rog, this took place exactly one year before you saw him fight Petey G. in S.D. After that, as you know, he had a few fights and fought some top fighters, but had lost his edge. I recall that Hawkins would go on to destroy Lobito Montoya, Frankie Crawford, future champ Kiniaki Shibata, Rokuro Ishiyama (all by brutal one-sided KO's) and fight on even terms with Fighting Harada the following year. If anybody down there has news on Bobby Valdez I'd love to know. What a special featherweight he was in a tough era. I remember he always wore white shoes. In those days, most wore black and some white, that's all we had. I rememebr first came Bobby Valdez and a couple years later, Roy DeFillippis. Wes Wambold had a pretty good stable for awhile.

-Rick Farris

dagosd2000 wrote:Rick
Ever come in contact with a couple of Light Heavies,Amado Vasquez and Hildo Silva? Fought often at the Coliseum. Vasquez,who I think was living in National City,lost a big fight to Mike Nixon down here.

Rick Farris wrote:

bennie wrote:

kikibalt wrote:
Rodolfo Gonzalez, Ken Norton & Paul Gonzalez

Nice shot. I remember British writer and commentator, Reg Gutteridge, stating in the early 1980s that the one person in the world he would choose to look like for a day (if he had a choice) would be Kenny.

Bennie . . . Is Reg Gutteridge still alive? I used to enjoy reading his British boxing news in the sixties.

-Rick

dagosd2000 wrote:Rick
Listening to music tonight. Went to Youtube. Great Brazilian number,"Aguas De Marzo"with Carlos Jobim and Elis Regina. Thought of Monica. Wish I knew how to get Youtube over to our thread.I'm a computer moron. :(

dagosd2000 wrote:Hey Frank
Got the perfect Christmas song for you. Go to Youtube and put on Jingle Bells with Glenn Miller. Put on the one with the picture of his band. The guy who sings the second chorus is sax player Ernie Caceres. He gives it a nice Mexican touch. Thanks Rog

dagosd2000 wrote:Rick
Ever come in contact with a couple of Light Heavies,Amado Vasquez and Hildo Silva? Fought often at the Coliseum. Vasquez,who I think was living in National City,lost a big fight to Mike Nixon down here.