Pharr blogger delves into word of conjunto legends
Eduardo Martinez, who writes a blog about quirky Valley stories, discovered the world is largely unaware of South Texas’s number one export – influential accordion players so skilled that their ability on the squeezebox can border on inhuman.
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Seriously, these guys are some of the best in the world and they are pure Valley, says Martinez, whose blog is updated about once a week. His work is easy to find. Just do an Internet search for “Pharr From Heaven.”
Martinez has written about topics ranging from high school football to historical fires to WWE announcer Michael Cole living in McAllen.
But he learned fast that the biggest response, from readers as well as him personally, came with blog entries about aging tejano and conjunto musicians. Finding these guys and sharing their stories has become somewhat of an obsession for the 25-year-old, who is a Pharr native.
“Originally what drew me in was I felt that a lot of these musicians weren’t getting the attention they deserved and they were really great musicians, especially on the accordion,” Martinez says. “Some of the greatest accordion players have come out of the South Texas area. It’s something we should be proud of.”
He’s talking about guys like Ernesto Guerra, Paulino Bernal, Oscar Hernandez and Ramiro Cavazos.
Martinez uses a combination of his own knowledge, internet forums and especially stories from old timers around the Valley. He usually posts a few words about the musician, who is usually an accordion player, along with a sample of the work.
“It’s constant learning,” Martinez says. “I learn something kind of cool almost every week. Nothing big, but maybe like a little story I might learn from an old conjunto guy or a little detail.”
Want to know more? You’ll have to start reading the blog.
Zack Quaintance covers features and entertainment for Festiva. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.
