My
earliest and fondest memories of my cousin
Fidencio \\\"Pepe\\\"
Garza (aka. Rocky Gil go back to the early 1950s
when we were just kids growing up together on the
west side of Houston. I was five years old he was
eight, since we lived only three blocks from each
other, we played almost every day. .
Along
with my two brothers Ernie and Mando
we would play cowboys and indians, cops
and robbers and all the games
kids played in those days little did we
know that fate would have us playing together
again as teenagers and again as young adults but
it would be in music. In
1955 my family decided to move to the east side of
town and we lost touch of each other. I later
heard that he had moved to Louisiana, where in 1959
he founded his band \\\"Pepper and The
Orbiteers\\\"
Perhaps it was fate or mere co-incidence that in
the winter of that same year I founded my first
band \\\"The
Moonglows. It seemed that our futures were
heading in the same direction and bringing us
together again.
I say that because in 1961 my mom told me that
Pepe was back in town and that I should call him
because he can sing, boy! could he ever. At that
time I was wanting to change the direction that my
band was taking and at that same time, discovering
my Tejano roots.
So, I decided I
wasn\\\'t much of
a singer anyway so I called him.
We met at aunt Mary\\\'s (Rocky\\\'s mom) that
same evening and after a short discussion and
brief rehearsal we decided to go for it.The following week we started rehearsing three
nights a week and contemplating a name for the
band. After a few days I came up with \\\"The
Sparkling Embers\\\"
Rocky suggested \\\"Little
Joe & The
Embers\\\" sounds good to me I
replied.
I knew my cousin had been contemplating a stage
name when he interupted my thoughts and said
\\\"Rocky Gil\\\" from now on I want to
be known as \\\"Rocky Gil\\\" alright! I
declared, how does Little \\\"Joe & The
Embers featuring Rocky Gil\\\" sound to you
his reply was fantastic!
And so, the legend of Rocky Gil Was born and the
beginnings of Little Joe & The Embers
happened....To be continued / by Joe Martinez A
REAL TEJANO! and Damn proud of it.
Joe Martinez of Little Joe & The Embers
