Johnny & His Blue Diamonds, Lubbock

JOHNNY AND HIS BLUE DIAMONDS - Let's Go Steady b/w Mercy Mercy Mercy (Jilguero 150)

The Jilguero label had quite a run. According to Arhoolie's amazing Frontera Encyclopedia this South Plains imprint might have released well over 100 singles making it the most prolific Spanish lengua label from west Texas. Though it possibly began in Shallowater for much of it's 10+ years Jilguero- Spanish for the goldfinch bird- was based from Lubbock.

Johnny and the Blue Diamonds had three releases on Jilguero with "Let's Go Steady" b/w "Mercy Mercy Mercy" being their last. Both sides of this single from 1967/8 are reworkings of then popular songs and the performances on both sides are credited to the duo of Leroy and Mauricio. "Mercy Mercy Mercy", which got its start in '66 as a jazz instrumental, comes in almost ska-like before quickly giving way to a grittier workup of the top #5 hit for Chicago's Buckinghams. The Blue Diamonds probably heard "Let's Go Steady" riding backside to Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music" and the horns are a dead giveaway to the the group's Chicano-aucity (that a word?).

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Dig the picture above... that's a shot of Mexico's Sierra del Carmens about 30 miles off in the distance. Just below those mountains lies the small Mexican border village of Boquillas del Carmen which was immortalized in Robert Earl Keene's "Gringo's Honeymoon" and recently made news after the Secretary of the Interior announced the reopening of the local border crossing. The crossing was closed under threat of imminent invasion from Muslim terrorists 9 years back. For a huge hunk of last week this was pretty much my view while camping on the lower slopes of the Chisos Mountains. I enjoyed my time, not thinking about this blog too awful much and came back not really wanting to mess with LoneStarStomp for a bit. I do believe I may now take short break from regular posting and focus on some re-writes (Gene Morris) and stories that have been in the pre-write phase for far too long (The New Roadrunners and Knights Bridge as well.... holler at me Ted Franklin and Steve Smith!!!)

Hasta...