Rudy T. Gonzales
One of the major pioneers of Chicano rock 'n' roll, Rudy T. Gonzales helped put San Antonio's famous West Side Sound on the map, inspiring everyone from Doug Sahm to Question Mark and the Mysterians. Blending Mexican folk music with black R&B, Gonzales and his band Reno Bops unveiled their "Cry, Cry" on the Rio label in 1957, a year before Ritchie Valens' debut hit "Come On, Let's Go." And in 1966, Rudy Gonzales found himself in a tiny Saginaw, Mich., studio producing an organ-driven garage romp that would become one of the greatest rock anthems of all time: "96 Tears" by Question Mark and the Mysterians! At this year's Stomp, Gonzales will be backed by fellow San Antonio legends Little Henry Lee, Rudy Palacios, and Chente Montez of the Sunliners and Manuel "Bones" Aragon of the Royal Jesters.