SENATE MEMORIAL 4

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Michael Padilla and Pete Campos

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING VOCALIST AND MUSICIAN ROBERTO GRIEGO, A NEW MEXICO LOCAL LEGEND.

 

     WHEREAS, Roberto Griego, also known as "the voice of New Mexico", is a local legend for his vocal and musical talent; and

     WHEREAS, at the Chile Ristra restaurant inside Isleta casino, he is a hometown celebrity; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto, also fondly known as the "Billy the kid of rancheras", holds court at the casino restaurant, saying "hola" to everyone from cooks to customers as they stop to greet him; and

     WHEREAS, in the casino on Cinco de Mayo 2018, Roberto rocked a packed, sold-out crowd with towering trumpets and galloping guitars; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto was born after World War II in La Joya and later moved to Albuquerque's bosque as a child, where he was raised by his grandparents; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto graduated from Rio Grande high school during an era of fantastic music, with rock and rollers such as Chuck Berry, Freddie King and Roy Orbison serving as early influences; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto picked up a guitar at age thirteen and taught himself to play and sing by ear, without any technical training; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto's grandmother and aunt discouraged Roberto's musical career and encouraged him to at least fill out job applications, which he did, but Roberto always returned to his music, practicing seven or eight hours a day; and

     WHEREAS, music became his salvation, his life blood and a positive outlet; and

     WHEREAS, in 1968, Roberto enlisted in the New Mexico air national guard, serving thirteen months in Korea during the Vietnam conflict, and while stationed overseas, he joined his first rock band, playing lead and rhythm guitar; and

     WHEREAS, returning to Albuquerque after his military deployment, Roberto was employed by Yellow freight and enrolled at the Albuquerque technical-vocational institute, taking courses in accounting and business law, where he learned to compose official, legally binding music contracts, a skill he employed throughout his career; and

     WHEREAS, on August 1, 1971, Roberto recorded his first two songs: the classic bolero ranchero Un Pobre Nomas and No Mas Pensando; and

     WHEREAS, the recordings were huge successes, with Un Pobre Nomas reaching number one on the charts in Mexico City; and

     WHEREAS, the album was so popular that it was reproduced and bootlegged into eight-tracks, cassettes, compact discs and long-playing records, even showing up on iTunes today, with Roberto joking that he would be a rich man if his music had not been pirated; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto enjoyed the adulation of large crowds, performing at Albuquerque's Tingley coliseum with El Mariachi Tenampa in 1974 in front of ten thousand people; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto has performed in Texas, Utah, Arizona, California and Wyoming, but his largest markets are in Colorado and New Mexico, with thirty thousand fans at a two-day Cinco de Mayo event, his largest crowd to date; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto has opened for superstars such as guitar master Freddy Fender and the Latin rock band War; and

     WHEREAS, in 2001, enraged and inspired by the tragic events of September 11, Roberto wrote Americans Will Unite for the United States troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto also composed music for his fellow soldiers in 1991, during the Gulf War, when he wrote Dios Bendiga a Nuestro Soldados, or God Bless Our Soldiers; and

     WHEREAS, when a member of his family passes, Roberto writes a beautiful song for them as they continue on their eternal journey, a ritual he has performed for his late father and sister; and

     WHEREAS, after more than fifty years in the music industry, Roberto has created ten studio albums and two singles in English, Spanish and bilingual, playing rancheras, cumbias, corridos and ballads with that northern New Mexico sound mixed with a touch of Tex-Mex; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto has won various awards for his many musical contributions, including best original song, mariachi song of the year and a lifetime achievement award honoring New Mexico performers; and

     WHEREAS, Roberto exemplifies an enduring legacy of music from the heart;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Roberto Griego, a consummate vocalist and musician, be recognized as a New Mexico local legend; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to Roberto Griego.

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