Agapito Zuñiga:  A Pioneer of Conjunto Music Genre

CURRENT NEWS

 Agapito Zuniga

November 19, 1924 - January 16, 2015

On January 16, 2015, I lost my hero.  My Heavenly Father called my precious earthly father home. As a believer, I know that tough situations will arise, but I also have the promise that my Heavenly Father will never leave me or forsake me. It is my walk with The Lord that makes me strong; and it is that faith that helped me get through this.  Letting go of my will and letting God's will be done is a demonstration that I walk by faith, not by sight; that my hope is in Him alone; and that my strength is a derivative of His love for me. I am so thankful and grateful for teachings of my father that led me to this path.  

In his last days, my father knew exactly where he was going and he prepared me and my family for that fateful day. He composed a song and sang it to us.  He didn't want to leave his family, but he was ready to go home with the Lord.  As I held my father's hand and as all of his loved ones surrounded him, he took his last breath on this earth and his spirit ascended to be with The Lord. There are so many mysteries that we will never solve until the day we meet our Heavenly Father. However, the bible does reveal some truths about eternal life and one truth is that believers can face death without fear. My precious father wasn't afraid. His crown was waiting for him in heaven and while my heart was sad when he left us, my family and I rejoice knowing that my father, AGAPITO ZUNIGA, is the victor!!

I am blessed without measure for having this wonderful man as my father--my Papito Lindo.  It is not the final goodbye, but farewell until we meet again.  

All the glory to God!!

                                                       Sylvia Zuniga-Vargas

Agapito Zuniga

Receives Doctor of Theology with Honors

May 31, 2014 

Corpus Christi Theological Seminary and it's pastors, Drs. Freddy and Sylvia Narango, recognized AGAPITO ZUNIGA on May 31, 2014 during its commencement service by honoring him with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Missions. Agapito ministered and evangelized for many years throughout the U.S. and abroad.  This honor was very deserving for this wonderful man who befriended multitudes and who brought many souls to Jesus. 

   The Music of South Texas

(La Musica del Sur de Tejas)

October 14, 2012

A photographic exhibit dedication was held on October 14, 2012 at the Ben F. McDonald Public Library in Corpus Christi, Texas to honor many outstanding Tejano music pioneers, one of whom was AGAPITO ZUNIGA!  Agapito Zuniga--a composer, vocalist, and master accordionist for over 60 years--was honored at having received this recognition as one of the Tejano music pioneers.  It was a great cultural celebration for all of the honorees, their families, and friends. 

Congratulations to AGAPITO ZUNIGA, as well as all of the inductees of the 2012 Music of South Texas dedication!!  Another well deserved accolade!! 

2010 Tejano Roots Hall of Fame

Inducts

AGAPITO ZUNIGA

On September 25, 2010, Agapito Zuniga was the recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame.  Agapito was honored to have been nominated for this award.  It was thrilling to see the faces of so many people hover over Agapito as photos were taken and autographs signed.  It was a memorable evening and one that will not be forgotten. 

7th Annual Water Street Market Music & Surf Fest

South Texas Music Walk of Fame

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Agapito Zuniga

When Agapito Zuniga settled in Corpus Christi in 1954, he was already a star. Born in 1924 in Burgos, Tamps., Mexico, he began playing the accordion as a child and, by age 13, already had formed a duo with a musician 30 years his senior. His first record deal came in 1951 and his various bands played to sold-out crowds all over the U.S. and northern Mexico for decades. Known as "El Escorpion," he hosted a very popular radio show for many years and released records on Discos Peerless, Discos Ideal, Discos Falcon, Fontera, Hacienda, and Freddie Records. In 2007 he composed his most recent song to celebrate the 258th anniversary of his home town. And In 2008 he was inducted into the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame.
 

        -  South Texas Music Walk of Fame.  Retrieved on June 3, 2010 from

         http://www.executivesurfclub.com/records/SouthTexasMusicWalkofFame.cfm

AGAPITO ZUNIGA was  honored at the 2010 South Texas Music Walk of Fame.   The courtyard of the Water Street Market is lined with stars giving tribute to the many musicians of the region whose contributions have not gone unnoticed.  It is a beautiful attraction to both the residents of Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as tourists.  The South Texas Music Walk of Fame began in 2004, and the celebration has continued inducting new honorees every year.

2010 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Saturday, June 5, 10:00 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Water Street Market

300 N. Water Street

Corpus Christi, TX

2010 Inductees:  AGAPITO ZUNIGA, Terri Hendrix, Mike Blakely , Michael O'Connor, Ceronimo Trevino III, and Ponty Bone

Agapito Zuniga continues to make us proud.  Again, many thanks to all of you who nominated Agapito Zuniga as this could not have come to fruition without your support.  

To learn more about the South Texas Music Walk of Fame, click here: 

http://www.executivesurfclub.com/records/SouthTexasMusicWalkofFame.cfm

SOUTH TEXAS MUSIC WALK OF FAME

Founded in 2004, The South Texas Music Walk Of Fame is a tribute to the diversity and abundance of music from artists who call South Texas their home. Each year, on the first Friday in June, an additional six stars are added in a ribbon cutting ceremony which kicks off the annual WaterStreet Market Music & Art Fest.

Each star is a work of art in itself. Hand crafted by the artists at Aloe Tile, Texas flags fly on music notes in each point and the name of a Texas Music legend fills the center. The walk begins in front of Agua Java and circles the fountain in front of the Executive Surf Club. All just one block from the bay, at 300 N. Water St. in beautiful, downtown Corpus Christi.

Nominations are accepted throughout the year at Surf Club Records. Nominees must be either from South Texas (and live anywhere) or from anywhere and live in the area from San Antonio to the southern tip of the state. The South Texas Music Walk Of Fame is led completely by volunteers and funded entirely by WaterStreet.

        -  South Texas Music Walk of Fame.  Retrieved on September 1, 2009, from

         http://www.executivesurfclub.com/records/SouthTexasMusicWalkofFame.cfm

A Brief History of the Saxophone in Tejano Music written by José B. Cuellar, native San Antoniano with a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California in Los Angeles:

It appears that one of most probable sources of the saxophone came into the Texas Mexican musical experience as a result of the close contact between Czech and Mexican musicians during the late 1920s when they were both being recorded by the Martin label in San Antonio. As Chris Strachwitz observed: "These two cultures have long lived side by side in Texas and Mexican-American musicians have adapted many Czech/Bohemian tunes into their repertoire while most Czech bands have learned popular Mexican melodies." Also according to Strachwitz, the sax-flavored "Corrido Rock" recorded by the Joe Patek orchestra, "is a wonderful example of the cross fertilization and borrowing of musical ideas which has been an ongoing process over the years." Additionally, the evidence shows that accordionist Narciso Martínez often played for Czech as well as for the Mexican audiences. This is important because it was Narciso Martinez who first recorded with saxophonist Beto Villa.

Exactly three months after Beto Villa recorded "Monterrey," Isidro López turned 15 years old. His first regular playing job was with accordionist Narciso Martínez. Isidro limited his sax playing after he became a lead singer. But his recorded arrangements always featured his smooth sax along with those of fellow saxophonists Max Bernal and Chuy Compeán. In 1990, Tejano music’s primer saxophonist and vocalist was entered into the Texas House of Representatives Congressional Record 15 days short of this fifty-seventh birthday.

On May 2, 1990, the day Isidro López was entered into the Texas Congressional Record, another pioneer Tejano saxophonist, Pancho Villarreal of San Antonio, turned 48. Like Beto Villa and Isidro López before him, Pancho first started playing saxophone in his school band. At age 14, he joined a conjunto called Los Principes de Raymundo Valero. Shortly after forming his own group, Panchito Villarreal y Su Conjunto, he started appearing regularly on San Antonio’s Spanish language television station KMEX, with "Tio" Laureano.

Pancho summarized his career as a Tejano saxophonist like this: "I joined up with my brother "El Ruco" Villarreal y su Conjunto and that’s how my career really got started. About 26 years of my life I spent with Ruco. We used to alternate with groups like Isidro López and Agapito Zúñiga, who had two saxes. He was the first group that I saw with two saxes. After that we started using two saxes. After El Ruco stopped playing, around 1965, I went with Flaco Jiménez and Ry Cooder on a tour of California. We went all over the United States and Canada, and played radio and television shows like Saturday Night Live."

               – Cuellar, J.B. (n.d.). El saxófon in Tejano and norteño music. Retrieved

                  April 28, 2009, from http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~josecuel/sax.htm

[C]onjuntos also had their BIG TIME stars and idols all over Texas. I remember hearing names like Carlos Guzman, El Conjunto Bernal, Agapito Zuñiga, Ruben Vela, Los Alegres De Teran, Valerio Longoria, and so many others.

               – My tejano journal. Retrieved October 11, 2003, from

                   http://www.tejanomike.com/tejanojournal.htm

This compilation reissues 16 Tex-Mex polkas from the 1950s and '60s. Some of the names (Tony de la Rosa, Valerio Longoria, Conjunto Bernal) . . . Agapito Zuniga are . . . represented. All of these artists were well known in South Texas in the '50s, when the practice of adapting polka power to Tex-Mex accordion styles was at its peak. This is a great introduction to that time and place, with the music being invested with an energy, elan and humor that doesn't show nearly as clearly in most other polka-embracing cultures.

           – Morthland, J. (2003). South Texas Polka Party (Arhoolie), Texas music news.

              Texas Monthly. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from

              http://www.texasmonthly.com/ranch/texmus/jm38.php

Agapito Zuñiga will always be one of the best-loved conjunto pioneers of all time. With a career that spans well over half a century, his music continues to inspire generations of conjunto musicians and fans alike. Agapito Zuñiga continues to perform to this day; however, in recent years he has chosen to devote his talents to the gospel circuit. From the 1940’s to 2008, his music remains authentic and original. 

           – Hacienda Records. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from

               http://www.haciendarecords.cc/Merchant2/merchant.mv?

           -- To listen to some of Agapito’s hits, click here: 

              http://us.dada.net/music/agapitozuniga/no-vuelvas_3115405m.html

              http://new.music.yahoo.com/agapito-zuniga/

Many dances at the Rockin' M were highlighted by accordion shootouts, most frequently between Flaco Jiménez, Agapito Zúñiga, El Escorpión de Corpus (the Scorpion of Corpus Christi), and Mingo Saldívar aka the Conjunto Cowboy, also from San Antonio. Jiménez was and is one of the genre's greatest stylists as well as the person most responsible for exporting the tradition beyond its traditional boundaries through his recordings with Doug Sahm and, later, the Texas Tornadoes, Dwight Yoakum, Emmylou Harris, the Rolling Stones, and Buck Owens, among others. Zúñiga was an elder, one of the old guard, well versed in the traditions of the music. Saldívar was the wild card, a middle-aged crazy who replaced Jiménez in Los Caporales, way back when, and who carved out a following from his Spanish language covers of country music chestnuts such as "Ring of Fire" (made famous by Johnny Cash), refashioned, naturally, into a polkita. The three would trade riffs back and forth with flourishes that became increasingly flamboyant and flashy until finally Mingo Pingo would start playing his instrument above his head and behind his back, and shut down the competition.

          – Dyer, J. and Patoski, J.N. (2005). Conjunto. Austin, Texas: University of   

             Texas Press. 

[Jessy Serrata’s] career began with Agapito Zuñiga (a/k/a  "El Rey de la Cumbia") and then on to the group called Los Buenos which included his brother Rene Serrata.

          – From Jessy Serrata’s Myspace. Retrieved on April 28, 2009, from

              http://www.myspace.com/jessyserrata

Any discussion of postwar conjunto music must begin with the names of two pivotal figures:  Valerio Longoria and Tony de la Rosa.  There were others, of course, who began their careers at this time--for example, Agapito Zúñiga, Daniel Garces y Los Tres Reyes, and the Mexican duet famous in their own country and the United States, Los Alegres de Teŕan.  Most of these influenced the course of conjunto music in one way or another.

~ ~ ~

As happened with the emergence of conjunto music in the 1930s, the transformation of the style in the 1950s had many contributors. [I]n considering the best known (if not always the most innovative) exponents, mention should . . .be made of such well-recognized artists as Agapito Zúñiga, Los Tres Reyes, and Ruben Vela. Zúñiga, originally from Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, begin recording for Ideal in 1954, according to [Valerio] Longoria. Indeed, Zúñiga’s, first recordings featured him not as an accordionist but as a singer with Longoria’s group. Only later did Zúñiga’s own group, Los Desveladores, begin to record on their own.

          – Peña, M. (1985). The Texas-Mexican conjunto: History of a working-class

             music.  Austin: University of Texas Press.

I am very fortunate in that I experience[d] some of Texas’ music greats such as Manuel Solis, Tony De La Ros, Eloy Bernal, Amadeo Flores, Joey Lopez, Ruben Vela, Agapito Zuñiga, Cha Cha Jimenez, [and] Los Unicos.

           – Joel Guzman – Accordionist, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer. Retrieved

              October 13, 2003, from http://grovelabs.net/content/pages/guzman.html

 July 11, 2008

On July 11, 2008 in Corpus Christi, Texas, the First Annual David MusicAwards was held honoring Christian music artists, which included Agapito and Odilia Zuñiga, Dolores Gutierrez, Grupo Gratitud, Marcos Barrientes, Rita Bernal, Rudy Guerra, and many more.

The Second Annual Hispanic Christian Music Awards, a ceremony that recognizes Christian music performers in 20 categories, is set for Tuesday at Del Mar College Auditorium. A Gala Night concert with performances by a number of acts is set for Monday at Texas Sky Festival Park. Co-produced by Joe Cisneros and Humberto Lozano Lopez, both events start at 7 p.m. and are expected to end before midnight.

Awards will be handed out in categories that include conjunto; songs of the year in progressive conjunto, regional conjunto, mariachi, keyboard and crossover; duet; singer of the year in contemporary, keyboard, mariachi; Evangelist of the Year and Christian of the Year; CD of the year; female, male vocalist of the year; and a number of special achievement awards.

Award night performers include Agapito and Odilia Zuñiga, Kiko Alvarez, Danny Yanez, Cristobal Lara, and Joe and Suzie Cisneros. Many of the competing artists and organizers are familiar names in mainstream Tejano. They include accordionist Agapito Zuñiga, who had a full career in conjunto music; Joe Cisneros, who owned radio station KFLZ and headed his own orchestra; and Freddie Records artists Hugo Guerrero, Sunny Ozuna, Carlos Guzman and Freddie Martinez.

           – Cabrera, R. (2001, June 29). Corpus Christi Caller-Times Tejano Journal.

               Squeeze-box showdown. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from

               http://www.caller2.com/2001/june/29/today/tejanojo/3987.html

Tribute to Agapito Zuñiga at the 258^th anniversary of

Burgos, Tamaulipas (2007)

Burgos, Tamaulipas was founded on February 20, 1749 and celebrated its 258 anniversary in 2007. In remembrance and celebration, the city organized some simple, yet special, festivities for everyone to enjoy. This celebration also allowed the youngsters to learn about the city’s origins and their ancestors; it allowed them to learn to love and respect their roots and give everyone an opportunity to socialize with those who make this part the homeland, Tamaulipas. A tribute was held for Agapito Zúñiga de la Garza, composer of the "Corrido de Burgos."

 Agapito Zuniga receives recognition from his hometown of Burgos

"For having delivered with inspiration, the composition, "'Corrido de Burgos'"

 2009 Burgos Celebration

Autor del tema que los burgaleses hemos adoptado como himno, "Burgos, es mi tierra," el cual lo escribió por el gran cariZo a su pueblo y se lo había prometido a su amigo de infancia, Don Vicente Ramos Ramos, que era Presidente Municipal; la presentación de esta obra musical fue en un baile celebrado el 5 de Junio de 1974 que amenizaron Don Agapito Zúñiga y su Conjunto, alternando con los "Hermanos Camarillo," Matilde y Brígido; los fondos recaudados fueron destinados a la compra del solar que hoy ocupa el Centro Cívico Municipal. Desde el 1 de Junio de 1984, dio un cambio radical en su vida y se dedica a servir a Dios con sus prédicas, testimonios, y su música acompaZado siempre de su esposa, Odilia.

      – Zúñiga, J.J.T. (2009, February). "Viva Burgos."  Victoria, Tamps.,

         Mexico:  Talleres de Prograf, S.A. de C.V. 

From the Author of "Viva Burgos"

Julian Jose Zuniga Trevino

La Palabra, No. 5, Agosto-Septiembre 1999

Con el gusto de la música tejana - Agapito y Odilia Zuniga . . . pero ahora cantando para Cristo con cantos, testimonios, y mensajes de la palabra de Dios!