BTDT:. SNOWBALL

It was a cool winter day in South Texas. The Rio Grande Valley. WE were celebrating Grandpop's 100th birthday on the Dublin Ranch. A cookout. Then I spotted him! SNOWBALL. The legendary leader of the Chicano Wave (Onda Chicana) band SNOWBALL AND COMPANY. I had seen him on a Sunday Morning Spanish language TV show. Back then Spanish language shows were shown only on Sundays. Two hours and only music programs. A local broadcaster had found a market. This pioneer had such television shows and a Spanish language radio station. It made him rich. Find a market and make a living out of it. Smart. What was he doing at Grandpop's centennial birthday bash? As a kid i thought it was cool that a WASP with blonde hair was fronting a band. I didn't knoe his real name until later in life. His name was Ramiro De La Cruz. He was from nearby McAllen, Texas. One if my uncles had a oal who gree up with him. Entertainment at the birthday bash! I got his Autograph and a story. Back in the bad old days of Segregation SNOWBALL and his band had played a gig in Central Texas. They would spend the night at a motel and head out in the morning. HE and his band hit a store for some beers. SNOWBALL would buy the beer since he looked White. No problem. Safety first. He bough the beer and overheard locals saying they would find and beat up the band. SNOWBALL paid for the 6 packs and headed back to the car. They went to the motel and checked out. No need to hand out autographs to "Music Critics"! "Palomita Errante' gets Huge Gonzo Marks.