What is your current occupation (or where do you attend school), and what does that involve?
“Currently, I’m busy recording with local musicians Steve Velasquez and Jimmy Solis. Having recently moved here from Houston, I hope to establish myself performing here, San Marcos, San Antonio, Austin and New Braunfels. I have no desire to hit the road again.”
What do you do off the clock “Just for fun?”
“Music, music, music. I live and breath it since my first professional gig at age 12 when I got paid a whopping $6. But I do like to watch the tube with a good glass of wine and Drunken Goat cheese. Chilling.”
What city and state were you born in?
“I was born and raised in Seguin, Texas. Lived in Houston for the longest time. But every time I came back to Seguin from Houston, I would come on Highway 90 through Luling and the sign entering Seguin which reads, ‘Welcome Home’ just got the best of me and I had to come back.”
Who are the members of your immediate family?
“My sisters Mary Sandoval, Vicky Torres, Connie Kypfer, Tommie Banuelos, Hope Balderas, Delia O’neal, Lucilla Powell, Alicia Moore, Isabel Gonzales and a brother and sister who have passed on — Pablo Gonzales III and Jovita Gonzales. I also have a son, Christopher Robert Flores and a daughter, Roberta Denise Gonzales, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced?
“Some would think it was my time in Vietnam but I would say, developing lesson plans which would keep my students engaged, interested and having fun while learning, every day.”
What is your favorite TV show and movie?
“All the old Westerns are great. Wholesome shows of old like, Little House on the Prairie which featured real family life situations. Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, JAG. All the good stuff. Movie? Heaven Knows Mr. Allison”
What type of music do you enjoy (favorite band, song, etc…)?
“Now you found my niche…ALL music. Blues, Oldies, Jazz, Old School Funk, R&B, Country, romantic Boleros and hot Cuban/ Puerto Rican Salsa tunes are all genres which I love. Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Sinatra, Harry Connick, Diana Krall (oooh she gives chills)”
What is your favorite Seguin business and restaurant?
“Business, Solis Building Specialists because they have done some great remodeling for me in a timely fashion. Seguin has so much good food. Su Casa has great carne guisada, Atotonilco has awesome menudo, El Ranchito has great margaritas, The Chop House has a great variety to choose from. But the place I visit almost daily is the Court St. Coffee Shop because of the Walnut Springs coffee they serve and of course the decadent cinnamon rolls plus a very healthy and affordable menu.”
What is something folks may not really know about you?
“Well, not too many people know that I used to be a paratrooper in the military but probably even more people don’t know that I used to be a ballroom dance instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Austin and San Antonio…similar to what you see on Dancing With The Stars.”
If you could assemble a dinner party with any five guests (living or dead) -excluding immediate living family members – who would they be?
“My Mom and Dad, my brother, my sister whom I never met and Princess Grace.”
What are your roles in the community?
“Presently my endeavors are to provide happiness and relaxation through my music. I had a fleeting thought about going into politics and that was quickly nixed by my wife.”
Discuss your professional background/achievements/leadership roles.
“I have always been active in the music field but also taught Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology at Barbara Jordan High School for Careers in Houston. My greatest achievements are having been nominated Teacher of the Year for 1999, being included in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 2002, being included in the book Chicano Soul: Recordings & History of an American Culture and being inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame in 1991(now the Hispanic Music Hall of Fame) and the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame in 2012 for work I did with local musicians, The Broken Hearts. Leadership –I was steward/organizer/representative for the Houston Federation of Teachers/American Federation of Teachers.”
What are this proudest moments in your personal life or in your career?
“When I performed at the Houston Tejano Music Awards and received a standing ovation for singing America The Beautiful and another for a song I wrote for the starving children in Africa.”
What do you believe are the strengths of this community?
“The cohesiveness among the diverse cultures exemplified by the gatherings at Central Park, the support and respect for our law enforcement and military members past and present and our ability to see our weaknesses, acknowledge them and resolve them.”
What do you find as the most interesting thing about Seguin?
“The people — it’s all about the people. I came home after 40 plus years of being away and the people still amaze me as much as they did before I left. Each person has a story and I hear many at the Coffee Shop. My wife cannot get over how friendly people are here, having lived in Houston most of her life.”
What are your future plans?
“I will turn 69 Nov. 1st. Two years ago, a famous Houston guitarist for whom I used to play, played for my wife’s birthday. He was 80 at the time. In January, he turned 82 and he’s STILL playing. THAT is what I would like to see in my future…I’m a young whippersnapper by comparison. They don’t know this yet but I’m going to solicit the organizing skills of Ramon Salazar, John Paul and Toyo Amador to put together a fundraising concert featuring local musicians donating their time to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in celebration of Our Lady’s Feast Day Dec 12 – perhaps a tribute to our veterans on Nov 11 at the American Legion.”
What message do you have for the residents of Seguin?
“Live life to the fullest, you only get one chance at it. Don’t waste time trying to prove to others that you are right. In their own mind, others are also right.”