Rulie Garcia and the East LA Congregation – Que Pasa (What’s Happening?)

By , July 28, 2016 11:53 am

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Rulie Garcia

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Listen/Download – Rulie Garcia and the East LA Congregation – Que Pasa (What’s Happening) MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is nigh, and so then is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab yourself an MP3 here at the blog.

If you follow Funky16Corners, Iron Leg or the podcasts associated with either blog, you have probabky heard me going on about my love for the East LA Chicano music scene of the 60s and 70s.

The most famous proponents of the sound, groups like Cannibal and the Headhunters, Thee Midniters, the Premiers, El Chicano and the Village Callers, are known for their mixing of Latino music, rock, R&B and soul and making some extremely cool records.

I have made chasing down and collecting these records a minor sideline (minor, since some of these 45s and LPs are extremely rare) and try to discover as much as I can about the musicians.

Today’s selection is a record by one of the busiest, yet more mysterious characters on the East LA scene, Rulie Garcia, aka Johnny Chingas, aka The Brown Brothers of Soul.

You can Google him all you like, but aside from the records his made, there’s not a lot of info out there about him.

It would appear that his real name was Raul Garcia, and that he was recording – at least as a sideman – as early as the late 1950s.

He recorded music under all of the names listed above (including the East LA Hammond classic ‘Cholo’ on Specialty in 1971) and was especially active in the 80s (he died in 1992, only 52 years old).

The record I bring you today is the last of three singles he recorded for United Artists in 1972 and 1973 as Rulie Garcia and the East LA Congregation.

‘Que Pasa (What’s Happening)’ is – like much of his other work – a celebration of low rider culture.

The song features a funky beat, fuzz guitar, lots of Latin percussion and Garcia’s raspy growl.

Though none of his records made the national charts, there is evidence that he had a significant following in Southern California, selling tons of records locally, some on his own Billionaire label.

That all said, if you head on over to Youtube and seek out the sounds associated with his various and sundry aliases, you will discover that he played all kinds of music.

I hope you dig the track, and keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for more East LA stuff in the future.

See you on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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