Crossing Borders: My Journey in Music

193 Pages·2021·38.821 MB·English

by  Max Baca

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© 2021 by Max Baca
All rights reserved. Published 2021
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-8263-6251-3 (paper)
ISBN 978-0-8263-6252-0 (e-book)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file
with the Library of Congress
All photographs in this book are from Max Baca’s personal collection.
Cover illustration: [! Designer: Add cover illustration credit/caption info. !]
Designed by Mindy Basinger Hill
Composed in Minion Pro and Resolve Sans
The bajo sexto and the accordion are brothers.
The accordion comes from Texas via the Germans.
The bajo sexto comes from Mexico.
That’s why they call it Tex-Mex music.

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Acknowledgments ix
Foreword Daniel Sheehy xi
Introduction xiii
one
Comenzando (Beginnings) 1
two
Flaco 15
three
Creciendo (Growing) 26
four
La Música (The Music) 32
five
Familia (Family) 38
six
Cima de Cartel (Headlining) 46
seven
Sir Douglas, Augie, and Freddy Fender 52
eight
El Origen (The Origin) 67
nine
El Movimiento (Moving) 72
ten
Estirándose (Stretching) 79
eleven
Empujando Hacia Adelante
(Pushing Forward) 84
twelve
Selena 99
thirteen
Los Texmaniacs 102
fourteen
Grabación (Recording) 110
fifteen
Cantando por una Causa
(Singing for a Cause) 128
sixteen
Carlos 138
seventeen
¿Adónde Vamos desde Aquí?
(Where Do We Go from Here?) 142
Epilogue 149
Interviews 151
Max Baca’s Discography 153
Recommended Viewing 155
Gringo Lingo 157
Notes 161
References 163
Index 165
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I want to thank God for the gift of music and the wonderful people
he’s placed along my journey. To my father and first inspiration, Max D. Baca,
Senior: I hope you’re proud of me. It’s an honor to take your name all over
the world. Thank you to my mother, Gloria Baca, the greatest gift God ever
gave me.
Thank you, Leonard “Flaco” Jiménez, for taking me under your wing as
your right-hand man and bajo sexto player and making me part of your
magic, guiding me with your humbleness, teaching me your wise consejos
(advice), and being a father to me. Thank you for all the beautiful, priceless
memories.
Daniel Sheehy, there are no words to express my gratitude. Thank you for
making me part of your familia and patiently guiding me to be the musician
I am today. When you said “Los Texmaniacs breathe new life into conjunto
music,” it made me proud.
Thanks also to my wife (Ping), son (Carlos Baca), grandson (Carlos Max
Baca), granddaughter (Mya Jole Baca), brother and musical partner (Jimmy
Baca), sisters (Maxine, Renee, Arlene, and Sharlene), grandmother (Millie
Lucero), and uncles (Carl and Anthony Lucero). My gratitude goes out to Pat
Jasper, Juan Tejeda, Christina Balle, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center,
Sarah Rucker, Charlie Lockhart, Doug Cox (Vancouver Island Music Festi-
val), Chuck Wentworth (Rhythm & Roots Festival), Barbara Manners (Con-
cert Happenings in Ridgefield, Connecticut), Gilbert Reyes (Hohner), Rock
Clouser (H. Jimenez Bajo Sextos), Mingo, Patricia, and the Saldivar family,
Pete Reiniger (Smithsonian Folkways), Joe Treviño (Blue Cat Recording