6TH ANNUAL FREDDIE GOMEZ MEMORIAL CONCERT SATURDAY

Conjunto Legend Ruben Vela’s protégé  2016 STCA Memorial’s Conjunto Ambassador

The 2016 STCA “Conjunto Ambassador Award” will be presented to Ruben de la Cruz y su Conjunto during the 6 th Annual STCA Freddie Gomez Memorial Conjunto Concert scheduled on Labor Day weekend, on Saturday evening, September 3, 2016.
Ruben de la Cruz has been making appearances in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond since the 1990’s. Born in Joliet, Illinois, as his Valley-native parents were migrant workers, Ruben would travel up north every year to work with his family.

While up there, he was exposed to accordionists who would also make the seasonal trip. He started to get a feel for that unique Valley sound.
While out working in the fields, a young Ruben De La Cruz would use his breaks from hard labor to go watch conjunto musicians Ruben Vela and Gilberto Perez. Ruben’s dad, David De La Cruz, had a Hohner accordion in the 1980s and Ruben started learning to play it at age 8.

One time when they were in Florida, he took Ruben to an accordion teacher there named Tomas Maldonado. He learned his first polka, “Nuevo Laredo,” in two hours. After that trip to Florida, the young musician was taken to Ruben Vela’s house three to four times a week so he could study with a local master.
By the age of 12, De La Cruz was already playing professionally in Harlingen, Texas area dance halls
and shortly after, as Ruben De La Cruz y su Conjunto.
In 2000, he got a big break when he was asked to record for Hacienda Records in Corpus Christi. That was when his life changed, he stopped going up north and dedicated myself to the music.

He prides himself on being one of the few current conjunto musicians that creates new, original material. Since that turning point, he’s released 17 CDs through Hacienda Records and Discos RyN.

Some of his most popular songs include “El Proximo Viernes” and “Agua De Fruta.”
When he’s playing here in the Valley, he says that there is a strong demand for polkas like “Asi Se Baila En Tejas”, the people of the Valley are polkeros here.

The current line-up of his conjunto includes: De La Cruz on the accordion and vocals, Frank Hernandez on bajo-sexto and vocals, Felix Aleman on bass guitar, Mike Vallejo Jr. on the drums and Ram Rodriguez, as a Percussionist/Roadie. Ruben recently signed with RO’ Records of San Antonio and is recording a new CD, titled “Negro Corazon”.

While he’s no longer a migrant worker, De La Cruz still lives a lot of his life on the road. With his red Gabbanelli accordion, he enjoys exposing Valley-style conjunto to the rest of the states in America and Mexico. What Vela and Perez did in past years, De La Cruz is doing today. On July 17, 2016, Ruben won the “Album of the Year” award at the South Texas Conjunto Association’s annual awards show.

This year’s event will be coordinated with assistance from the City of Brownsville’s newly created Main Street District, the Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts and by a new sponsorship-host, Charlie Clark Nissan.
The Concert starts at 5 pm at the corner of 11 th St. and E. Levee St. in Downtown Brownsville and includes a DJ Music Tribute Mix for Departed Artists, the National Anthem on Accordion, In-Memoriam Cymbal-Toll for 2015-2016 Departed Artists, Conjunto Award Certificate Presentations, Accordion-Student Performances, local Youth Musicians Ensemble, a Dance Marathon Contest for Cash Prizes and three (3) Conjunto performances from 8:30pm to 12pm, featuring Grupo Karizma, Ruben de la Cruz and Los Nuevos Chachos.
Food and beverage concessions will be available and table and chair seating will be provided, personal outdoor chairs are welcome.
For more information on the event, contact STCA President, Lupe Saenz, 956-463- 6909, or the Brownsville STCA Chapter Co-Directors, Juan Antonio Tapia, 956-579- 2936 and Timo Ruedas, 956-545- 8446, or visit conjunto.org.