LEGENDARY CONJUNTO MUSICIAN SCHEDULED TO PERFORM

(KINGSVILLE, September 27, 1996) - Legendary conjunto musician Valerio Longoria and his band will perform next week at Texas A&M University-Kingsville as part of a month-long celebration of Hispanic heritage.

Longoria, recognized as being one of "una nueva onda" or a new wave of conjunto musicians, will perform at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, in Student Union Ballroom A.

Conjunto music is a combination of Mexican and German music, featuring guitar music from Mexico with the influence of a German accordion, said Cecilia Aros Hunter, co-chairman of the Hispanic Heritage Committee.

"Together, it (conjunto music) has a Mexican flavor with an 'ompah'," Hunter said. "it's the music of the working class -- the people's music."

Grounded in the traditional style of conjunto music, Longoria is responsible for several innovations in conjunto music and was once declared by former President Ronald Reagan as a "national treasure" in terms of the contribution he has made to the art.

Longoria was the first accordionist to combine singing with playing. His mechanical aptitude led him to alter his accordion to produce unique sounds, such as the "sonido ronco," or "hoarse" sound by tuning the sound-producing reeds to play an octave lower, as the principal note was played. He also introduced the bolero, a Spanish dance done to castanets and lively music, and was the first to make regular use of the modern dance band drums in a conjunto group, according to Richard Morgan, assistant professor of music at A&M-Kingsville.

Born in 1924 in Kenedy, Longoria was first introduced to music at age six when his migrant-worker father bought him a guitar for $10, and a year later, his first accordion. His career as a conjunto performer had its initial start at age 8 when he was paid $3 to perform at a wedding with a traditional group of accordion, guitar and drum.

After serving in World War II, Longoria returned to South Texas and the life of a professional musician, recording his first songs in 1946 for Corona Records in San Antonio.

Since then, Longoria has enjoyed a professional career that spans 50 years. He will visit A&M-Kingsville Thursday to not only perform, but to share highlights of his life as a conjunto musician. The event is free and open to the public.

-TAMUK-
-Mary McAdam