Chicano Rock and Soul giants El Chicano gifted the Bboy universe with a number of Funky culturally-conscious jams over the decades, and their Soulful and Funky instrumental version Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” is a perfect example:
Blending elements of Rock, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Salsa, and Blues, El Chicano brings some Serious Chicano-flavored Funky sounds to our eardrums. And about 5 minutes into the track, get ready for a major Break!
Some background on El Chicano from their website:
El Chicano grew out of the Latin music scene from the streets of East Los Angeles. Originally as “The VIP’s”, founded by Freddie Sanchez, El Chicano was the most successful of the L.A. Latin Rock recording artists. Their seven album run for MCA Records included classic albums such as Viva Tirado, Celebration, Revolucion, El Chicano and Cinco.The song “Viva Tirado” (a tribute to Mexican bullfighter, Jose Ramon Tirado) composed by maestro Gerald Wilson, was their big crossover smash and garnered the group their first gold record in 1970, as well as “Jazz Group of the Year” as voted by Billboard and Cashbox.
The Revolucion album featured a beautiful ballad “Sabor A Mi ” which became an International hit and a Eastside anthem. The Celebration album featured a superb cover of Van Morrison’s composition “Brown Eyed Girl”, highlighting the vocals of Freddie Sanchez and Steve Salas with a Latin rock groove – another gold classic. The group’s recordings showed a versatile and wide ranging adaptation of many styles of music. “Tell Her She’s Lovely”, featuring the vocals of Jerry Salas, was another Top 40 hit in 1973 on the self-titled LP, El Chicano, that also went gold for the group.
Over a 40 year span, El Chicano has garnered five gold records and recorded ten LP’s. Their music has been included in over 50 compilations, and has also been used on several major movies and television shows. The group has been honored several times for their contributions to community and charities that help children and the arts.
