Tejano music icon makes families, not walls

Keeping it Real: The Iconic Ruben Ramos Returns to His Roots

For five decades, Ruben Ramos has been a stalwart of the Mexican American-style big band, Orquesta. But it's not just the music that has kept this new Austinite tied to his roots; it's also the community and the cultural significance that this genre holds for the East Side of the city.

"There is nothing that I like better."

Ramos, now 84, is set to take the stage once again at the annual free Hillside Concert Series. But this time, it's personal. It's a return to the days when his career began, playing drums and singing English-language rock songs with his brothers' band, The Mexican Revolution. It was a turn away from the stable job as a state worker, and towards a musical future guided by his convictions and influenced by the rich history of Mexican American Brass.

Born to musical parents in 1940, Ramos and his family settled in East Austin, where he was surrounded by uncles who led large ensembles, playing everyone from Jimmy Dorsey to La Sonora Santanera. It was here that Ramos first learned to play and fell in love with the horn-heavy postwar sounds of Cuba, Mexico, and Black and white America. This foundation solidified his distaste for electronic music and his preference for formality—suits and all.

"El Gato Negro is not a cowboy."

Ramos has always stayed true to himself and his style, even when record executives tried to change his image. His legacy, as defined by ethnomusicologist Catherine Ragland, is one of a musician who "stuck to his style and sought to provide the best quality dance band around."

And stick to it, he did. With a decade-long streak of performing every weekend, Ramos and his band drew crowds and became a staple of the Mexican American community in Austin. Now, after a heart surgery and a pandemic-induced hiatus, he's back where he belongs—at the Pan-Am concert series, a yearly gathering that is "our place to get together."

Join Ruben Ramos and the Revolution on July 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu Pan American Recreation Center and Neighborhood Park for an evening of timeless cumbias, rancheras, and oldies. It's free, it's authentic, and it's a celebration of a true Austin icon.

Pan Am Hillside Concert Series:

When: Tuesday, July 30 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Oswaldo A.B. Cantu Pan American Recreation Center and Neighborhood Park, 2100 East Third St., Austin, Texas.
Info: Free entry. Ruben Ramos and the Revolution will be joined by the Tiarras and Fuzion. Attendees can bring blankets, chairs, and coolers. Food and drink are available for purchase.