Courtesy of Shellshock Records 3
SAN ANTONIO, TX — Tejano icon Shelly Lares accomplished a longtime goal today as the Tejano ROOTS Hall of Famer signed the first official artist to her Shellshock Records 3 label. California singer El Gallo Dez becomes the initial artist on the roster for the San Antonio-based record label.
Lares commented on signing the first artist to her own imprint. “Words cannot explain how I feel today,” she said. “For YEARS this has been my goal…YEARS!”
“Little Miss Dynamite” retired from performing at the end of 2022 after touring during a 40-year career to concentrate on producing music and mentoring the next generation of Tejano stars.
“My being off the road is going to be more beneficial to the industry,” Lares told Tejano Nation last year. “I’ll be able to really contribute more time to mentoring, to producing, to being able to helping my industry in any way that I can. You can utilize me more behind scenes. I think I’m a better writer than anything else and I think that I’m just better in the studio and I know people haven’t really seen that side of me yet, but they’re going to.”
The debut Tejano single for El Gallo Dez was “Rogando Por Tu Amor,” a smooth and beautiful progressive ranchera written and arranged by Lares and co-written by Dez, who is mentored by the Tejano icon.
“She’s been nothing short of family to me, very welcoming and just really guided me every step of the way, (she) made this process very easy and just natural,” said Dez of Lares, who is currently the only male vocalist on the Shellshock Records 3 roster. “It’s been an honor working with them and a privilege really.”
El Gallo DEZ is sure to bring a fresh magnificent sound and vibe to the Tejano music scene with his captivating voice, which was discovered by Lares through the social media platform TikTok.
“I wanted him to learn Tejano because it’s a genre that deserves recognition,” Lares tells Tejano Nation. “It’s a genre that some people still don’t even know. Believe it or not, as long as Tejano music has been around there are a lot of parts of the United States that have never really heard the rest of the Tejano artists that we have and I want people to understand that these are the caliber of vocalists that are out there and having an artist like that with a following like that on TikTok only brings more attention to Tejano music.”
Dez was born and raised in Whittier, California, part of a long generation of mariachi musicians, performing at 5 years old. Although mariachi has been the foundation of his musical interest, Dez has shown his versatility through a variety of genres including, jazz, R&B, Pop, and Rock, and has now added Tejano music.
“It’s very exciting being that it’s a new genre that I am trying to get into and I really love it,” said Dez. “It’s been so welcoming and everyone in Tejano nation has welcomed me with open arms.”
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