Jimmy Edward | Courtesy photo
NextGen Recordshas teamed up with the son of late Tejano iconJimmy Edwardto produce an all-star tribute to the artist who is widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the genre.
As the original lead vocalist for the legendary group theLatin Breedand with a string of hit albums as a solo artist, Jimmy Edward was a dominating force of the 1970s Chicano music scene. Shortly afterhis passing in February 2020, his sonJimmy Edward Treviño IIIand NextGen Records co-founder and C.E.O.Mike Torres IIIbegan talks to bring this project to life. The duo is proud to release the first two singles from the upcoming album; a beautiful mariachi rendition of “Incertidumbre” and “My Special Medley” featuring some of the biggest hits of his solo career.
“For years I had wanted to produce one more album for my dad, and unfortunately we didn’t have the chance,” Treviño said. “I met Mike at my dad’s funeral and after finding out how big of a fan he is, I wanted to share some old videos I had. We started talking and before we knew it, we were making a plan to get this record going!”
The first release, “My Special Medley,” features vocal work byRam Herrera,Chente Barrera, Mike Torres III, andRoger Velasquez; and is an homage to the 1978 hit recordMy Special Album.
“That record was my dad’s true labor of love. He was most proud of that record,” recounts Treviño. The track features the horn section ofLA 45along with their drummerWill O’Rourke; the legendary bassistRoy Paniagua, who was the original bassist of the Jimmy Edward Band in the 1970s andDavid Delagarza IIIofLa Mafia, the son ofDavid “Speedy” Delagarza, original keyboard player for the Jimmy Edward Band.
“Incertidumbre” showcases a magnificent performance by another of Tejano music’s greatest vocalists,Adalberto Gallegos, backed by three of the most in demand mariachi musicians of this generation,Frank Carreon(guitarron & trumpets),Robert Casillas(guitar & vihuela), andAntonio Guzman(violins), this classic song takes on a new life!
“Every day the project gets bigger and more artists are signing on to be a part of this once in a lifetime tribute to a truly iconic artist,” said Torres. “There will never be another voice like Jimmy’s…he influenced generations of artists, and we are so excited and proud to be able to put this all together.”
Work began on the album in January of this year produced by Treviño, Torres andJohn Ontiveros. The full album is due out this summer and includes a lineup of some of the biggest stars in Tejano music.
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