Wally González is Conjunto Music’s Iconic Stand-up Comic

By Ramón Hernández

When it comes to musical parodies in Tejano music, the first name to pop up is Wally González, yet he is another of Tejano music’s pioneers long overdue for recognition.

He is important because he influenced Nick Villarreal and other novelty singer/songwriters to follow the same music vein. However, the 71-year-old living legend’s roots were in hard core música de acordeon.

González, who was four, when he used to spend all his nickels on the jukebox, says his father played harmonica and that, accompanied by Arturo Garza on guitar, he started playing accordion at school assemblies at twelve.

“I loved music so much, I dropped out of the seventh grade to work with Mario Sáenz of Los Gavilanes,” González said.

The then Weslaco-based group recorded two singles with Ideal – “Tus Recuerdos Estoy Viviendo” and “No Te Vayas Deteniendo” – and the latter was recorded by Los Dinos #Bernal BE-2013# in the mid-sixties.

“This was followed by five to six long-play vinyl 33 1/3 albums at a rate of about one per year and this, plus hits such as ‘La Apasionada,’ ‘Frijolitos Pintos’ and “La Del Moño Colorado,’ which made Billboard’s charts, created a great demand for us to tour all over California at a time when label-mates Los Alegres de Teran were also very hot…Read more via River City Attractions.

---