It’s not often that so-called millennials lead us back to music from the past century, especially Latin music. Showbiz today is all about being young, fresh, and new.
But Austin-based singer
Carrie Rodriguez, 37, is an exception. In making her own new fusion of Chicano and American music, she is reminding us of her deep roots in Tejano culture. On the occasion of the release of her latest album,
Lola, Rodriguez has invoked the muse in her Mexican-American family: singer and film star Eva Garza, who was her great-aunt. This bilingual album includes some tracks, with contemporary arrangements, from her great-aunt’s repertoire, such as “Noche de Ronda” and “Frio en el Alma.”
Eva Garza (1917-1966) hailed from San Antonio, Texas, and became one of the biggest stars of her day, both on records and in film. During the 1940s and ’50s, Garza won international acclaim, especially for her interpretations of the romantic bolero. She performed on radio and on stage in music capitals from New York to Havana, from Mexico City to Buenos Aires.
However, Garza has not received the credit she deserves, and many young Latinos, even in her home state, don’t know who she is. But that is changing, thanks in part to Rodriguez who has chosen to carry her mantle.
Recently, Rodriguez has been talking about her musical legacy every chance she gets. And thanks to the mainstream media’s built-in echo chamber, she has had a pretty strong megaphone since her latest album was released earlier this year. She has had coverage, for example, on
Public Radio International (PRI) and
National Public Radio (NPR), as well as in the British newspaper
The Guardian, and even
the Wall Street Journal.
This is not the first time the media mentions her family’s musical heritage. In a
2009 article on the eve of the release of her third studio album,
The New York Times mentioned that it included “a Spanish song by her great-aunt.” The reference came way at the bottom, and the paper misspelled her name as Ava Garza. At the time, Rodriguez primarily wanted to talk about all her other influences, from Lucinda Williams to Hank Williams.
Now, however, her Latin legacy has come to the fore, which she discusses in this engaging
YouTube video. “Lola” is not just an album title; it’s the artist’s alter ego, inspired by revered ranchera singer Lola
Beltrán, who was also from Texas. Singing those kinds of songs in Spanish, Rodriguez recently told the
Austin American-Statesman, brings out a different persona, a deeper emotion, a wider range. “It was as if another person came out when I opened my mouth,” she was quoted as saying.
The benefit of this type of coverage is that the public gets to learn about two artists at once. The news about “Lola” inspired me to look more closely at the life of Eva Garza and the many recordings included in the Frontera Collection.
So thanks to the young Carrie Rodriguez, we now have a new, full-length profile of her great-aunt available on the Frontera website. I believe Eva Garza would be proud of the talent in this new generation.
-Agustín Gurza
To read the full Eva Garza bio, please go
here.
Eva Garza's children
by John P. Martin (not verified), 05/14/2022 - 12:02My 2 sisters and I appear in a photo from 1943 at a birthday party for a 2 year old girl (the cake has 2 candles) who is standing on a chair in front of Eva, with her brother-in-law Alfredo and possibly his wife also in the picture. Felipe also appears as a 3 or 4 year old. They lived in the ground floor apartment of 210 West 109 St., New York NY, where our Martin family lived upstairs. Is she Rosa Maria, and can you tell me what day was her birthday, so as to date the photo. It was given to me by a neighbor upstairs Carmen Reyes who is next to my mother on the right side, and whom we just buried yesterday. I can send you a copy of the photo, if you like. Many thanks. John P. Martin