George Soto was born en El Barrio de Newton Avenue in the great city of Seguin, Texas. George didn't have a dad; His dad died in the war in Europe in early 1943 before George was born. His mom lived in San Antonio, Texas. He was raised by his abuelitos or grandparents. Adding to his sense of family was a black lady, Mrs, Redix, who lived next door and often asked George to stay and eat. He felt so close to her he called her aunt.
In 1949 at the age of six George was enrolled at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School in Seguin, Texas. In 1955 George graduated from said school. George also lost his grandmother Leoner Martinez in the middle of 1955 and only George and his grandfather were left. Next school he attended was Joe F Saegert Jr. High and he graduated from that school in 1958. In 1955 George started playing Football, Basketball, Track, Baseball and Gymnastics. All that ended in 1960 at Seguin High School after passing to the eleventh grade, George left school.
George and Munchie (Ramon Salazar Jr.) were old friends. One day he watched Munchie's brother, Rudy, play the harmonica and guitar. George sensed a flicker in his blood. "To me Rudy was more of an inspiration than anybody else," remembers George. But of the Salazar brothers, Munchie was George's buddy. When Munchie bought a guitar in 1958 and began to practice, George's musical ambitions heated up. "When Munchie bought that guitar, it even inspired me more because we were always together," recalls George. "I also bought my own guitar, and we started practicing together." Several months went by and Ramon Salazar Jr. left and joined Charles McIntyre and his band while George stayed practicing by himself. Another Two or three months went by and Ramon requested to rejoin George. For the record George Soto never played with Charles McIntyre or any other band!!
In 1958 George Soto and Ramon Salazar Jr. formed a Rock-N-Roll band and named themselves the Playboys, a popular name at that time. Sometime between 1960 and 1961 the Playboys became the Broken Hearts. George started developing a special gift that he didn't know he had. George stated, "If I knew a song it changed when I started playing it, my feelings took over and the song came out different. My feelings controlled every song that I played." George who had the talent and his own original style also arranged (Rhythm-Lead) many of the group's recordings, and broke new ground in tejano music with the guitar arrangement of Las Cuatro Milpas, an instrumental recorded in 1964, featuring George on guitar. Las Cuatro Milpas Became a Hit for the Broken Hearts.
Concerning Las Cuatro Milpas, Lupe Gonzales of Tierra Tejana in 2011 stated, "On that polka, George Soto played those famous pasadas on his guitar that no one to this day can duplicate"! A Littlefield, Texas fan in 2011 also stated "You forgot the best Broken Hearts song...Las Cuatro Milpas....played by George Soto....I watched him in Littlefield, Texas in 1964." Sergio Martinez posted to George Soto B H; "George it is my pleasure to meet you through FB. You are indeed a legend in Chicano music. My best to you," Sergio! Joe Ybarra stated "Your one of a kind George, especially in "Las Cuatro Milpas" we don't have bands like that anymore, I mean playing with your Heart! We do have great Bands now & I like to change with the times music wise but back then...well it's hard to explain, you know what I mean George! Del Corazon, Great Memories. God bless you my friend". Margie Gonzales on Las Cuatro Milpas, "Great Song, love it"! Luisa Medina Arteaga stated on facebook, "Hi George! I just finished reading your story in the "About" section. It is a VERY impressive story...you are a true Tejano Legend. To be honest with you I have not heard of you or the group Broken Hearts. I just listened to the videos you uploaded on YouTube and you are an extraordinary guitarist. I just wanted you to know that I'm honored to be part of your friends." Raul Sanchez" WOW! That's a great story, GEORGE SOTO "EXTRAORDINARY GUITARIST" April 11 at 12:54pm 2014. "To George a very dear friend & one of the greatest Lead Guitarist I've ever had the pleasure of knowing" by Chepe Ramirez
George Soto's guitar riffs were highly original. The manner in which he combined different musical genres in his guitar riffs was truly remarkable. Those "pasadas" could imitate a "bajo sexto" or imitate a "requinte" and a "keyboard" as well. What the guitarist (George Soto) in "The Broken Hearts" did was a make up for the instruments they may have lacked and accentuate the instruments that they did have as well as the vocalist in their band. Their "sound" was unlike any other band of that era. Every song George recorded had a Rock N Roll and Jazz Flavor. He was one the first Guitarist to combine Rock N Roll and Jazz into Hispanic Music.
At the beginning of 1967, George Soto left the Broken Hearts. On June 2, 1969 George invited Jesus Christ into his heart and asked Him to forgive his sins and the Lord saved him, changed him and gave him eternal life. George became a complete new person in Christ. Soon thereafter, he met Angelita Ramirez Cervantes and on October 29, 1971 she became his wife. George never finished high school so he started his quest for education by getting his GED and then getting diplomas as a Medical Laboratory Technician, Accounting, Electronics, Communications, Land Titles and etc. George became Responsible Head of a Blood Bank and Laboratory in San Antonio, Texas. That lasted for over twenty years. After that, he became a Customer Service Representative specializing in surveys for a title company.
George did his most important work serving the Lord with his wife. They ran a Sunday School Bus Ministry, bringing over 150,000 (after thirty years of service) children and adults to church and overseeing their lives many of whom are now serving the Lord. In 1969 George was appointed Choir Director at Bethel Mexican Baptist Church. That lasted until 2005 at another Baptist Church. George also served the Lord as a Lay Preacher, Bus Director, Sunday School Director and Usher. George and Angelita are still serving the Lord by presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world and have a Ministry called "JESUS ONLY" in Facebook.
George Soto is a member of the National Hispanic Music Hall of Fame inducted February 1, 1991 in El Paso, Texas and Tejano Roots Hall Of Fame inducted January 05, 2013 in Alice, Texas.
In 1949 at the age of six George was enrolled at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School in Seguin, Texas. In 1955 George graduated from said school. George also lost his grandmother Leoner Martinez in the middle of 1955 and only George and his grandfather were left. Next school he attended was Joe F Saegert Jr. High and he graduated from that school in 1958. In 1955 George started playing Football, Basketball, Track, Baseball and Gymnastics. All that ended in 1960 at Seguin High School after passing to the eleventh grade, George left school.
George and Munchie (Ramon Salazar Jr.) were old friends. One day he watched Munchie's brother, Rudy, play the harmonica and guitar. George sensed a flicker in his blood. "To me Rudy was more of an inspiration than anybody else," remembers George. But of the Salazar brothers, Munchie was George's buddy. When Munchie bought a guitar in 1958 and began to practice, George's musical ambitions heated up. "When Munchie bought that guitar, it even inspired me more because we were always together," recalls George. "I also bought my own guitar, and we started practicing together." Several months went by and Ramon Salazar Jr. left and joined Charles McIntyre and his band while George stayed practicing by himself. Another Two or three months went by and Ramon requested to rejoin George. For the record George Soto never played with Charles McIntyre or any other band!!
In 1958 George Soto and Ramon Salazar Jr. formed a Rock-N-Roll band and named themselves the Playboys, a popular name at that time. Sometime between 1960 and 1961 the Playboys became the Broken Hearts. George started developing a special gift that he didn't know he had. George stated, "If I knew a song it changed when I started playing it, my feelings took over and the song came out different. My feelings controlled every song that I played." George who had the talent and his own original style also arranged (Rhythm-Lead) many of the group's recordings, and broke new ground in tejano music with the guitar arrangement of Las Cuatro Milpas, an instrumental recorded in 1964, featuring George on guitar. Las Cuatro Milpas Became a Hit for the Broken Hearts.
Concerning Las Cuatro Milpas, Lupe Gonzales of Tierra Tejana in 2011 stated, "On that polka, George Soto played those famous pasadas on his guitar that no one to this day can duplicate"! A Littlefield, Texas fan in 2011 also stated "You forgot the best Broken Hearts song...Las Cuatro Milpas....played by George Soto....I watched him in Littlefield, Texas in 1964." Sergio Martinez posted to George Soto B H; "George it is my pleasure to meet you through FB. You are indeed a legend in Chicano music. My best to you," Sergio! Joe Ybarra stated "Your one of a kind George, especially in "Las Cuatro Milpas" we don't have bands like that anymore, I mean playing with your Heart! We do have great Bands now & I like to change with the times music wise but back then...well it's hard to explain, you know what I mean George! Del Corazon, Great Memories. God bless you my friend". Margie Gonzales on Las Cuatro Milpas, "Great Song, love it"! Luisa Medina Arteaga stated on facebook, "Hi George! I just finished reading your story in the "About" section. It is a VERY impressive story...you are a true Tejano Legend. To be honest with you I have not heard of you or the group Broken Hearts. I just listened to the videos you uploaded on YouTube and you are an extraordinary guitarist. I just wanted you to know that I'm honored to be part of your friends." Raul Sanchez" WOW! That's a great story, GEORGE SOTO "EXTRAORDINARY GUITARIST" April 11 at 12:54pm 2014. "To George a very dear friend & one of the greatest Lead Guitarist I've ever had the pleasure of knowing" by Chepe Ramirez
George Soto's guitar riffs were highly original. The manner in which he combined different musical genres in his guitar riffs was truly remarkable. Those "pasadas" could imitate a "bajo sexto" or imitate a "requinte" and a "keyboard" as well. What the guitarist (George Soto) in "The Broken Hearts" did was a make up for the instruments they may have lacked and accentuate the instruments that they did have as well as the vocalist in their band. Their "sound" was unlike any other band of that era. Every song George recorded had a Rock N Roll and Jazz Flavor. He was one the first Guitarist to combine Rock N Roll and Jazz into Hispanic Music.
At the beginning of 1967, George Soto left the Broken Hearts. On June 2, 1969 George invited Jesus Christ into his heart and asked Him to forgive his sins and the Lord saved him, changed him and gave him eternal life. George became a complete new person in Christ. Soon thereafter, he met Angelita Ramirez Cervantes and on October 29, 1971 she became his wife. George never finished high school so he started his quest for education by getting his GED and then getting diplomas as a Medical Laboratory Technician, Accounting, Electronics, Communications, Land Titles and etc. George became Responsible Head of a Blood Bank and Laboratory in San Antonio, Texas. That lasted for over twenty years. After that, he became a Customer Service Representative specializing in surveys for a title company.
George did his most important work serving the Lord with his wife. They ran a Sunday School Bus Ministry, bringing over 150,000 (after thirty years of service) children and adults to church and overseeing their lives many of whom are now serving the Lord. In 1969 George was appointed Choir Director at Bethel Mexican Baptist Church. That lasted until 2005 at another Baptist Church. George also served the Lord as a Lay Preacher, Bus Director, Sunday School Director and Usher. George and Angelita are still serving the Lord by presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world and have a Ministry called "JESUS ONLY" in Facebook.
George Soto is a member of the National Hispanic Music Hall of Fame inducted February 1, 1991 in El Paso, Texas and Tejano Roots Hall Of Fame inducted January 05, 2013 in Alice, Texas.
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