by Antonio Mejías-Rentas
Grupo Duelo
TEXAS OUT OF TEJANO: Controversy is brewing over this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the lack of homegrown music at its annual Latino music day.
There are no Tejano acts scheduled to perform at the rodeo’s “Go Tejano Day.’’ Instead, the lineup announced for the March 16 event include Mexican norteño band Duelo and the Chicago-based Los Horóscopos de Durango, a leading act in the growing duranguense genre.
According to reports last week, some local politicians and music stars are threatening to sit out or protest “Go Tejano Day, draws the rodeo’s biggest crowds.
Organizers say the programming reflects the dwindling popularity of Tejano music and point to the fact that there is no FM radio station in Texas that plays the music.
This would be the third time without Tejano acts since the event’s inception in 1990.
Los Horóscopos de Durango
Mexican acts Intocable and Control played in 2001 and San Jose, California-based nonteño stars Los Tigres del Norte were the 2002 stars.
Throughout its history, “Go Tejano Day” has included performances by such Tejano stars as Roberto Pulido, Emilio and Selena, but also a wide variety of artists ranging from Colombian rocker Juanes to pop singer Vikki Carr.
AWARDSUPDATES: At least one Latino performer will participate – as a presenter—in this week’s 50th annual Grammy Awards.
Juanes
Juanes is among a list of presenters and performers announced last week by the Recording Academy, It is likely that Juanes will announce the winner in one of nine Latin music categories during the Feb. 10 ceremony in Los Angeles, to be broadcast by CBS.
In a related item, more than a dozen performers and presenters have been announced for this year’s Premio Lo Nuestro. Performing at the Feb. 21 Miami ceremony will be Pepe Aguilar, AB Quintanilla lll, Enrique Iglesias, Los Tigres Del Norte and Ivy Queen, among others. The awards show is produced and broadcast by Univision.
ONE LINERS: Cartoonist Gus Arriola, whose long-running Gordo was one of the first syndicated comic strips about Hispanics, died Feb. 2 in Carmel, Calif., following a lengthy illness; he was 90, former Univision weekend anchor Maria Antonieta Collins told People en español she is leaving her current job in Telemundo, as host of the morning magazine Al día, to return to journalism. Pewee is among vocalists leaving the Kumbia All Starz with the group founder’s blessings.
Hispanic Link.
