Four-Day ‘Guerrerofest’ in Phoenix Pays Tribute to Dan and Lalo Guerrero

By Editor April 13, 2016 10:39

(Phoenix, AZ) — The life’s work of legendary Arizona-born musician-composer Lalo Guerrero and his son, Dan Guerrero, will be the focus of the Guerrerofest weekend of events starting Thursday in Phoenix.

Four days of events commemorate the 100^th birthday of Lalo Guerrero, who passed away in 2005, and the lifetime achievements of Dan Guerrero, a California based, entertainer, producer and Chicano/LGBTQ activist.

“Each of these men is a legend in his own right. Lalo Guerrero wrote hundreds of songs and performed around the world, while his son, Dan, broke barriers in the entertainment world as a producer and an educator and LGBTQ activist,” said Guerrerofest Producer Ricardo Moreno, founder and director of MyMexMusic.

Guerrerofest kicks off Thursday, April 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m. (door open at 6:30), at the Kax Theater in the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe, with “Activism & Arts: A Life Journey”, a talk by Dan Guerrero, followed by a panel discussion led by Dr. Neal Lester, the Founding Director of Project Humanities at Arizona State University. Guerrero’s multi-media presentation covers decades of Mexican-American/Chicano and LGBTQ history through personal storytelling. Admission is free. Seating is limited.
On Friday, Guerrero performs his solo play, “Gaytino!”, 7 to 8:30 p.m. (door open at 6:30), at Live on Central’s Club Palazzo, 702 North Central Ave. “Gaytino!” recounts Dan Guerrero’s remarkable life journey from 1950s East Los Angeles to New York’s Great White Way in the 60s and 70s, and back to Hollywood. The play with music piece is driven by Guerrero’s lifelong friendship with the late Chicano artist Carlos Almaraz and his father, Chicano music legend, Lalo Guerrero. After the play’s performance at the Kennedy Center, The Washington Post called it “a disarming twist on the triumph-of-the-human-spirit theme.” Admission is $30.
On Saturday night, Guerrerofest presents the PBS Documentary, “Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano“, 7 to 8 p.m. (door open at 6:30), Live on Central’s Club Palazzo. Lalo Guerrero was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1916. Having learned to play guitar at 9, Guerrero went on to achieve international acclaim in a decades-long career as the “Father of Chicano Music”. Lalo Guerrero received numerous honors, including the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Bill Clinton. Guerrero was the first Chicano to receive our nation’s highest arts award. The documentary will be followed by special live music performances by “Mariachi Bellas Musical” and “Diana & the Rhythm Express”. Admission is $25.
Lalo Guerrero will be memorialized in a mural to be unveiled on Sunday during a mural tardeada/street fair at the Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center (ALAC) from 1 to 9 p.m. A special workshop on the life of Lalo Guerrero will be held at ALAC and a display featuring Zoot Suits, instruments and Lalo Guerrero’s hand-written music.