American Latino Magazine The Business of El Mariachi | Page 26
ished it when I was about
35 years old. In between,
I’ve written many songs,
but I finally finished it
then. It was named to
disguise my first crush
on a girl named Joanna.
ga
teve Orte
S
What other songs
have you written?
I’ve written many,
some don’t even
have titles yet. Some
were inspired by
memories, cloudy
days, winter - a lot
of them, written to
thank God.
English
by Larry
What got you started writing
songs and music?
Well I didn’t realize how much I would
enjoy writing until my mom forced my
hand one day. She bought blank greeting
cards for me to use for friends’ birthdays.
And it wasn’t so much that the poetry
came through me, it’s just that I loved
writing things down that meant something to other people. That’s when the
love for songwriting became a part of my
life.
What was the first song you
wrote?
The first song I wrote was called “Tracy”.
I started writing it when I was 14 and fin-
What style
would you say
is your music
written in?
I was influenced
by the 60’s, because that’s when
I grew up. My
songs are kind
of a Beatles and
Neil Diamond
mix. There are
no cuss words
and I like to
get a message
through. I
like my words to
carry a clear message.
Do you have a regular gig?
Right now, I sing regularly at my church.
I lead the music for the men’s bible study.
But, I’ll sing anywhere:
birthdays, weddings, funerals, or just in the park.
a song that praises You”. Within twenty
minutes I had the music and the lyrics.
God is good. Since then, I’ve also been
writing Christian songs.
What are your short-term goals?
Right now, I plan on getting some
musicians together and playing different
venues. Unfortunately, a lot of the guys
I know have kids, are soccer dads and
can’t really commit to regular gigs. So
really, I’m starting from scratch. If I have
to, I’ll go it alone. Ideally, I’d love to pick
up a singer and a percussionist.
Where do you see this in the long
term?
I would love to hear my songs being performed by other artists as well. I would
also love to be under contract a year from
now. I think God has his plan for me. If I
were to earn a lot of money for my music,
I know many people that need help.
What would you say to young musicians?
If it’s your passion, then go for it. It’s not
as easy as it may seem, but if you love
it more than the battle that will wear you
down, you have to pursue it.
Back to the girl that started it all,
are you still in touch with Joanna?
Yes, I actually sang the song for her and
her daughter, and they ended up in tears.
She asked if it was about her and I told
her “Yes, this is your song”. She has a
great husband, I love him dearly. So, I
couldn’t have asked for the relationship to
have gone any better because we are best
friends now.
What has kept you
going?
My love for singing to
people; through the grace
of God, who gave me the
ability to play guitar, and
inspiration for my songs.
One day I thought, “You
know Lord, I haven’t written a song to praise You,
and I would like to write
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