Gilbert passed up his first opportunity to learn music when he chose not to learn how to play the guitar and accordion from his grandfather at around the age of nine or ten. It is my understanding that he regrets passing up the opportunity to learn the accordion. His next opportunity came when he started out as a trombonist in the junior high school band in Seguin. His interest was trumpet but his band director convinced him to play the trombone. During this time he also learned how to play the saxophone thru one of his friends who played that instrument. His older brother, Fred, started playing the guitar and pretty soon, Gilbert was also learning the basics of bass guitar and honed up on this skill by jamming out with some of his cousins. After playing with a couple of groups, Ramon Salazar, Jr. offered him the opportunity to play which at that time was the up and coming Broken Hearts. This proved to be fortuitous. Gilbert would become the work horse of The Broken Hearts. Gilbert was truly a musicians' musician and a very flexible musician which made him an asset to The Broken Hearts. While he played with The Broken Hearts he was a bass man, a saxophonist, and one of the co-arrangers for The Broken Hearts.
Probably his greatest contribution to The Broken Hearts was as one of the co-arrangers within the band. Keep in mind that while in today's Tejano music has a bi-culture mixture in its music back in those days it didn't exist. The idea of playing both Rock-N-Roll and also playing Mexican Music was something new. I am not sure where it began nor can I say who started it first. Perhaps, it was a spontaneous idea since most kids wanted to hear both genres. The Old Guards composition were mostly Mexican they were not Mexican musicians, but rather, Rock-N-Rollers, first and foremost. They were, for the most part, kids from the barrios of Texas who never denied their heritage nor did they deny their culture. They played the Rock-N-Roll music they loved but also augmented it with the Mexican songs that were a part of their culture. The Broken Hearts were pioneers in this new idea. The contributions that The Old Guard made was the introduction of the Lead Guitarist. Conjunto music's principal stringed instrument was The Bajo Sexto while the Old Orquestas did employ the electric guitar, it was mainly confined to playing rhythm. The lead guitar was introduced to Mexican Music with the advent of The Old Guard. The organ was another musical instrument that was introduced by The Old Guard. Some of The Old Orquestas did employ a piano but Keyboards were not a standard musical instruments in those orquestas. Keyboards have evolved into the synthesizer of today's Tejano Music but its predecessors began with The Old Guard whose "roots" were Rock-N-Roll. Another musical instrument that came into its own was the saxophone. The saxophone was not new to Mexican Music. The old orquestas employed them and the saxophone was used in some conjuntos. However, just like the Rock-N-Roll musicians the saxophone (along with the organ) became the main instrument to play the intros, bridges, and the closings, as well as "riffs" in augmenting the vocalists. The main instrument in Conjiunto Music has always been the accordion and in the old orquestas the trumpet was its main instrument.
Gilbert was one of the saxophonist in The Broken Hearts and he did a very skillful job as a co-arranger to employ that instrument in the music of The Broken Hearts. Listen to "Plegarias Falsas". Gilbert gave the song a Rock-N-Roll sound to it. It may have been a Mexican song but it was also pure Rock-N-Roll. He was also not confined to mixing two genres of music. Listen to "Las Cuatro Milpas" and you can also hear the saxophones employing a Huapango riff into a polka. The co-arrangement between George Soto's imitating a Bajo Sexto with a guitar and Gilbert Gonzales' Huapango riff making that "polkita" quite unique.
Still, Gilbert Gonzales was not confined to being a saxophonist and a co-arranger. He was also a very adept vocalist. Gilbert also sang harmony to Sixto's voice. This harmonization can be heard on songs like, "Thrill Upon A Hill", "Andan Diciendo", "Mi Derrota" and seveal other songs sang by Sixto. He can also be heard harmonizing with Tony "Ross" Castillo in "Pledging My Love". In songs like "Te Hise Quererme", "Entre Copa y Copa", and "Viva Quien Sabe Querer" the listener can hear that he was an excellent lead vocalist and displays just as much emotion as Sixto Sanchez in his renditions of these songs. I still love listening to Gilbert's lead singing along with Sixto's lead singing. They were, to me, the best vocalists of The Broken Hearts.
Gilbert's tenure with The Broken Hearts ended in May of 1965 when he graduated and was drafted at the age of nineteen. After Basic and A.I.T. training he was assigned to West Germany. While there he managed to get into a musical group of German Nationals that played Soul Music. The band's name was "The Sounds of Soul". They played songs by Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, The Four Tops, Anthony & The Imperials, and various other Soul Artists of that era.
They were so successful that they earned top money in West Germany and Gilbert would make more money in two nights than his entire base pay in the army. As his discharge from the service neared, he decided to stay in West Germany and was mustered out of the army there. He continued his musical career there. This made him quite unique. I would venture to say that he was perhaps the only musician of The Old Guard who was an International Musician.
He was also unique in another respect. While working as a musician in West Germany the group had the opportunity to go on tour to Turkey. They decided to travel overland rather than by boat since traveling by sea would be expensive considering that they would be taking a VW Van and their musical instruments. This required them to apply for travel visas to cross Yugoslavia and Bulgaria (two communist countries) and the embassy explained the hazards of traveling thru communist countries. Gilbert experienced first hand the treatment American citizens received by communist regimes. On his return trip he was interrogated as an American spy.
While he was in Istanbul he played on the European side and the Asian side of that city and he was amazed at the differences between those two sections of that city. The modern westernization of the European side and the Nineteenth Century look of the Asian side. In the two and a half weeks that they spent there they played in The Goldfinger and Bonnie & Clyde on the European side of Istanbul and Club Rickshaw on the Asian side. Gas was very cheap there because it was about fifteen cents a gallon during that period. After these experiences Gilbert was glad to get back to West Germany where he continued to play in Europe. The Red Cross informed him to get in touch with his family because his mother was ill. He returned back home at the age of twenty-one. He was also saddened by the loss of Sixto Sanchez (whom he considered one his best friends) who died in a car accident while he was in Europe.
Gilbert once again resumed playing with The Broken Hearts until he was offered a chance to play with Alfonso Ramos which he accepted. He was twenty-three at the time. Once again he proved to be a work horse. While he was with Alfonso he played alto, tenor, and baritone sax, third trumpet, trombone, bass guitar and was also a vocalist. He also sat in with his brother, Ruben Ramos. He also recorded several singles and albums with Alfonso Ramos. Sadly, I can not write about those recordings because I don't know anything about them. He played for around eight years with Alfonso during his first tenure with him.
It was during the last year with Alfonso that he found Christ and became a Born Again Christian. With about half of Alfonso's band he formed a Gospel Group called "Born Again". They made recordings, played in various churches, Tent Revivals and Fellowships before the band finally fell apart and everyone went their separate ways.
Gilbert once again returned to secular music and began playing with a group called The Flames out of Kyle for about a year when Leonard Davila invited him to join Street People where he played bass and was on vocals with them. For the next four and a half years Gilbert would be playing Tejano, Disco and Country Music with Street People. Street People recorded several "hits" and toured through several states here in the U.S. where they were quite popular and even were the opening band for James Brown at the Fort Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
After Street People, Gilbert went on to play with "Los Vientos" where he again re-united with another Ex-Broken Hearts band member. It was his brother, Joe Gonzales, Jr. along with Pablo Gonzales, Jr., Ruben "Tomato" Gonzales and Eli Jimenez which formed "Los Vientos". For the next six years Gilbert would play at weddings, Anniversaries, Quincenieras, and Birthday Parties with "Los Vientos".
The next band that Gilbert was involved with was a local group named "Phase 5". Due to the uniqueness of their name a local club once billed them as "Face 5" (Las Cinco Caras). Sadly, this band's existence was short-lived and Gilbert moved on to play with the "Pavo Band" which consisted of former members of "Los Vientos" and "The Broken Hearts". Within "Pavo Band",Gilbert considered Frank Rodriguez one of the best keyboard players he ever played with. Frank was a former member of "Question Mark and the Mysterians" and was one of the recording musicians in the song, "96 Tears" which turned out to be a big hit. At any rate, Frank later re-joined his former group. Pavo Band was a very popular local group but after seven years with them Gilbert re-joined Alfonso Ramos and played with him for about three years.
It was at this point in his life that Gilbert tired of the constant traveling, drugs, bars, the deterioration of his health, marriage and life that through The Lord, Gilbert finally turned to God to make sense out of the shambles that his life had become.
Around sixteen years ago The Lord led him to a Gospel Church named "The Good News Fellowship" where he began playing the bass and guitar. About six years ago with the help of The Lord Gilbert learned to play the piano within a month. He utilizes this talent to play the piano at Nursing Homes, Christmas Parties, and family reunions.
Last year, The Lord led him to "Amazing Grace Baptist Church" in Seguin, Texas where he plays the piano and sings for them on a monthly basis. He is grateful that he gets to use their beautiful grand piano and that the church band backs him up while he is performing these songs. He has plans on obtaining an alto sax and becoming a regular member of their band. It is his belief that God ultimately gave him his musical talent to follow and witness for The Lord.
Gilbert fully acknowledges that even though he is a Born Again Christian, he still stubbles and falls at times. However, it is at those times that he looks to The Lord to pick him up and guide him on the right path. He is still open to playing secular music and would consider this option but he would also use the opportunity to witness for Christ in the hopes of leading others to The Lord. For the most part, his musical talents are reserved for praise and glory to Christ in thanks for the many blessings he has received through Him.
Thus far, Gilbert has survived two heart attacks, three strokes, and five car turnovers but The Lord's plans for him on this earth are not yet finished but he is ready for Him whenever He calls him to his side. May God's Will be done.
I have tried to tell Gilbert Gonzales' story to the best of my ability. I personally apologize to him for any misinformation I may have written in this account because such was not my intention. If this was the case it was out of ignorance of the facts and not because of any other reason. The Broken Hearts were among the "Pioneers" of "The Old Guard" which is the forerunner of "Tejano Music". "The Old Guard" is a much misunderstood facet of "Tejano Music". They were mostly composed of Hispanic Musicians but they were "Rock-N-Rollers" who could and did play "Mexican Music" and not "Mexican Musicians" who could play other genres of music. That is more the definition of "Chicano Musicians". The confusion is there because "The Old Guard" evolved into "Chicano Music". i can not say that Gilbert was the only "Old Guarder" to become an international musician. I simply do not know enough about members of other "Old Guard Bands" to say that. But I can say that if he was not the only one, he was certainly one of the few. I can also say that not all of "The Old Guarders" evolved into "Chicano Musicians". Many went on to perform as musicians in Country, Blues, Rock and Jazz or in a mixture of these genres. Gilbert's story is unique in that it tells the story of a multi-talented musician in several musical instruments, vocalist, arranger, and able to play in several genres of music. Gilbert Gonzalez was and is a definite plus in whatever group he is a part of and he has certainly led an interesting life. May his music be heard and his life blessed by all that is good and true.
Gilbert Gonzales is also a member of the National Hispanic Music Hall of Fame inducted February 01, 1991 in El Paso, Texas and the Tejano Roots Music Hall of Fame inducted January 05, 2013 in Alice, Texas.----Chepe Ramirez
