Juan Dela Cruz Band
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[edit] History
The original Juan Dela Cruz Band, consisting of Wally Gonzalez (guitar), Sandy Tagarro (bass guitar), Edmund Fortuno (drums), Bing Labrador (organ), and Alex Cruz (saxophones & flute), was formed in 1970. (Source: PinoyClassicRock.com) They performed that year at the Antipolo Rock Festival (patterned after the legendary Woodstock Rock Festival of 1969) and was subsequently tapped as the featured rock band in tandem with the Manila Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Redentor Romero) for the Philippine production of the rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Consequent to his theatrical role as the Judas character in the rock opera production, Sandy Tagarro vacated his instrumentalist role in the group and was replaced by Clifford Ho as bass guitarist.
Edmund Fortuno (aka "Bosyo"), Bing Labrador and Alex Cruz soon after departed to form their own group, Anakbayan (with guitarist Vic Naldo and bassist Marlon Ilagan); after which the versatile Sandy Tagarro returned to Juan Dela Cruz to play drums and sing lead vocals. Clifford Ho retained the bass chores. A musician from the Manila Symphony Orchestra (whom they had befriended in the Jesus Christ Superstar production), Romy Santos (flute/sax/clarinet), replaced Alex Cruz. Rene Segueco (organ/piano/vocal) was also recruited to replace Bing Labrador. In the wake of this revamp, the Juan Dela Cruz Band recorded its first album in 1971, entitled Up in Arms, for the Vicor Music Corporation under its Sunshine Records imprint. Complications within the band led Sandy Tagarro to abruptly leave after the Up In Arms recording sessions, not even joining in to pose for the album cover. Consequently, the 33-RPM Long Playing album was released not only with a different drummer (Bobot Guerrero) in the group picture, but Tagarro is stricken off the personnel credits other than for his mention as composer of one song ("Lady in White Satin"). Bobot Guerrero's tenure as drummer of Juan Dela Cruz continues through their promotional appearances for the album, into numerous concerts and club stints.
The Up in Arms album was not a commercial success and, to date, has not been deemed for reissue by Vicor Music Corporation. An unauthorized compact disc (albeit excellent remastering and packaging) of the record from Shadoks /Normal Music (Bonn, Germany) --supplemented by spurious bonus live tracks from another edition of the band-- is sold in online Internet shops. The original vinyl LP of Up In Arms is a highly sought artifact in rock aficionado circles. It showcases Wally Gonzales in the midst of a progressive and experimental sound characteristic of the early '70s rock milieu.
Further turmoil and gradual personnel changes within Juan Dela Cruz over the next several months led Wally Gonzales to completely revamp the group in 1973. An all-new Juan Dela Cruz Band, a powerhouse trio, was formed in collaboration with singer-drummer-composer Joey Smith (aka "Pepe") and singer-bassist-composer Mike Hanopol. Smith and Hanopol have both collaborated in Tokyo with Japanese guitarist Shinki Chen in a "free-rock" trio setup called Speed, Glue & Shinki, which had released two enduring albums for Atlantic Records Japan. Music historian Julian Cope narrates in his book, Japrocksampler (Bloomsberry, 2007), that Shinki Chen had recruited Joey Smith (and later, Mike Hanopol) from a Filipino rock group called Zero History, which he found performing in Tokyo's mall district. (Wally Gonzales was the guitarist of Zero History.) The vibe of Speed, Glue & Shinky is noteworthy in the contributions by Smith and Hanopol for their initial Juan Dela Cruz collaboration, particularly in the stop-start heaviness of "Take You Home", "Blues Train", and the talking blues of "Rock & Roll Sa Ulan". The ensuing album by the iconic trio of Gonzales, Smith & Hanopol, and its masterly title track, Himig Natin (translated in English, "Our Hymn"), went on to become an unprecedented success in Manila's emergent counterculture and underground radio network.
"Himig Natin" arguably propelled the "Pinoy Rock" movement into uncharted areas. The social impact and innovations of the Juan Dela Cruz Band inadvertently became the catalyst for the inception of Original Pilipino Music and the viability for diverse, original and previously unformulated musical genres to emerge and thrive in the Philippines.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Album Releases
- Up in Arms (1971)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitar), Rene Segueco(keyboards), Romy Santos(flute/sax/clarinet), Clifford Ho(bass), Bobot Guerrero(drums), Sandy Tagarro (composer)
// produced by Dodie Gonzales
uncredited: Sandy Tagarro (drums, vocals)
LP: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine Records TSP-?
CD: (Germany) Normal Records / Shadoks Music 013 (dated 2001)
- Himig Natin (1973)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitars), Mike Hanopol(bass/piano/vocals), Joseph Smith(drums/vocals)
// produced by Dodie Gonzales
LP: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine Records TSP-?
CD: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine BCD-170 (dated 2004)
- Maskara (1974)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitars/vocals), Mike Hanopol(bass/piano/vocals), Joey "Pepe" Smith(drums/vocals) // string arrangements: D'Amarillo
// produced by Chito Ilacad and Snaffu Rigor
LP: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine Records TSP-5127
CD: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine BCD-165 (dated 2004)
- Super Session (1975)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitar/vocals), Mike Hanopol(bass/vocals), Nides Aranza-Mendes(drums), Joey Smith(acoustic guitar/vocals)
// produced by Dodie Gonzales
LP: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine Records TSP-?
CD: (unissued)
- The Super Hits Of The Juan Dela Cruz Band / Live And In Concert (undated, circa 1977)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitar/vocals), Mike Hanopol(bass/vocals), Joey Smith(drums/vocals), Nides Aranza-Mendes(drums)
// produced by Dodie Gonzales
LP: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine Records TSP-5249
CD: (unissued)
Note: The Juan Dela Cruz management had issued statements that this release was spurious. Tracks were implied to be original studio tracks with applause merely added.
- The Best Of Juan Dela Cruz Band (1980)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitar/vocals), Mike Hanopol(bass/vocals), Joey Smith(drums/vocals)
// production supervision by Adel Arradaza
LP: (Philippines) Vicor/Sunshine Records TSP-5306
CD: (unissued)
- Kahit Anong Mangyari (1981)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitars/vocals), Mike Hanopol (bass/guitar/vocals), Joey Smith(drums/vocals), Nick Boogie(drums)
// (miscellaneous tracks) featuring: Lorrie Ilustre, Homer Flores and Mike Hanopol (piano); Chito Ilagan and Danny Bornilla (bass guitar); Edmund Fortuno (drums)
// produced by Mike Hanopol
LP: (Philippines) Blackgold Records BA-5064
CD: (unissued)
- The Best Of Pinoy Rock (1983)
credits: Juan Dela Cruz
(two tracks only: "No Touch" (M.Hanopol) and "Himig Natin" (Smith-Hanopol-Gonzales/Smith)
// produced by Ernie dela Pena
LP: (Philippines) Blackgold Records BA-5103
CD: (unissued)
- The Best Of Pinoy Rock Vols. 1 &2 (Collectors' Edition) (1985)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitars/vocals), Mike Hanopol (bass/guitar/vocals), Joey Smith(drums/vocals/acoustic guitar)
Vol.1: "Himig Natin" (Smith-Hanopol-Gonzales/Smith) // Vol.2: "Project" (Smith-Hanopol), "Nakatagong Mata" (Gonzales/JDLCB), "Sarap Ng Buhay" (Hanopol-Gonzales), "Maskara" (Smith/JDLCB)
// reproduced by Johnny Alegre
LP: (Philippines) Blackgold Records BA-5124
CD: (unissued)
[edit] Other Compilations on Compact Disc
- Himig Natin / Special Collector's Edition (1994)
credits: Wally Gonzales(guitars), Mike Hanopol(bass/piano/vocals/arrangements), Joey Smith(drums/vocals)
// produced by Vicor Music Corporation and Blackgold Records
CD: (Philippines) Vicor BCD-K-046
Note: This compilation is actually a 15-track hodge-podge of selections from "Himig Natin", "Maskara", "Super Session" and "Kahit Anong Mangyari".
- Pinoy Rock (undated, circa 2008)
credits: Juan Dela Cruz (eight selections of eighteen total tracks: "Kahit Anong Mangyari", "Titser's Enemi No.1", "Sarap Ng Buhay", "Panahon", "Project", "Balong Malalim", "Beep Beep", "Himig Natin")
// A&R supervision: Alwyn Cruz
CD: (Philippines) Vicor VCD-SA-001
[edit] Other members (unrecorded)
[edit] Pre-Millenium (70s and 80s Decades)
- Tony Rodriguez (bass guitar)
- Larry Martinez (keyboards)
[edit] Millenium Era ("Reunions")
- Dondi Ledesma (bass guitar)
- Wowee Posadas (keyboards)
- Wendell Garcia (drums)
[edit] Additional Historical Information
A partial reunion of the original lineup of the Juan Dela Cruz Band occurred in the summer of 1974, under the identity, Cara Y Cruz, which formed to participate in the National Battle Of The Bands (sponsored by RC Cola). The nom de guerre was perhaps utilized to circumvent a technicality that only unsigned bands were eligible to participate in the competition. They made two performances: at the Araneta Center (on an improvised stage behind the Araneta Coliseum); and at "Jam Park", a vacant lot leased for the event in the Makati area, situated alongside the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). The reconstituted band consisted of Wally Gonzalez (guitar), Sonny Tolentino (bass guitar), Edmund Fortuno (drums), Bing Labrador (organ), Alex Cruz (saxophones & flute) with Jacqui Magno (vocals). Ironically, the group progressed only up until the semi-finals phase of the Battle Of The Bands, after which they again disbanded.
