You never know what talent you will find out here on the road
Photograph by Crystal Masters
Gentle Texan, Joe King Carrasco has a musician's history like many who have a heart for good music, don't mind the road, the night life and short lived relationships.
When Joe was 10 years old he loved playing guitar and took some well learned tips from someone he looked up to; 'Fred' who knew all the Beatles covers. He started writing his own music in high school fulfilling what a psycic once predicted would be his future.
In 1972 he started hanging out in Mexico. Everything he needed fit inside his guitar case.
"life was simple" he smiles. Playing with Mexicans, surfing in Puerto Escondido, joining up with a hippie commune in Guanajuato, attending University of Americas in Chulula, and finally returning to the United States bay area and then further south to Los Angeles, hanging in the hood at Pico and Crenshaw, his musician life rich. He started writing a lot of music in the late 70's while playing with the Texas Tornados drawing on his Mexican and Texmex influences. Some of those songs are still being recorded today.
Photograph by collective
In 1979 he formed a band called the Crowns. They played the Mud Club to much faster beats. The New Wave and MTV music era was starting in when record label, Stiff Records from London brought his band to Europe and South America. For the next 10 years they toured and recorded with the likes of Snaps Gap , toured with The Police, The Go Go's, UB 40, The Whalers, Earth, Wind and Fire, Gloria Estafan, and Selina. In 1982 he recorded his song "Don't let a Women make a Fool out of you like I let a Women make a Fool out of me" with Michael Jackson! In the Paramount, a song he says like many others he "wrote heartbroken".
When Manu Chau recorded one of Joe Kings songs 'Pacheco Hop' and the album Mano Negro went platinum, things boosted for Joe. He still receives royalties to this day.
In the early 90's Joe King moved to San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico playing regularily as the house band at Pancho and Lefty's, then in 1992 out to the beach in Puerto Villarta at the Hard Rock Cafe.
While he still toured, Joe finally moved permanently to Puerta Villarta in 2006. In 2009 he opened a club there called Nacho Daddy's and formed a non profit organization named Viva Perro supporting his love for dogs by donating half of all his music proceeds to a better life for them.
Photography by Crystal Masters
This year he released 2 new CD's, Rucca and Tlaquepaque. His music is fun, funny and danceable. He plays his own original songs, like one of my faves, K Wow! and many well known covers.
You can listen to some of Joe's music on his Facebook page or see more about what he does at: www.nachodaddymexico.com
No comments:
Post a Comment