Jerry Lopez | Guitar & Vocals
Born to a musical family in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Jerry began playing various instruments and singing professionally at a very early age. By the time he was 14 years old he was a seasoned studio singer and touring musician with records playing all over the United States and abroad with over a dozen records airing all over the Southwest.
Throughout the years, Jerry has honed his skills as a guitarist, singer, and composer as well as a solid band leader, musical director and front man. As a sideman, he has performed with many artists that include just about all of his heroes.
As well as the many gigs he does on the road and in Las Vegas showrooms, he can be heard in just about every city in the US and overseas on jingles, television sound tracks and as a guest guitarist or singer with other artists. Jerry’s voice can be heard on the Ritmo de Vida 3D CD, a salsa group out of New York that is getting lots of East Coast play and is making it’s way out west, His work on the Tortilla Factory’s All that Jazz CD was nominated for a Grammy in 2009, and his discography over the years is lengthy.
Photo credit: Bobby Gladd
Today, with Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns, many of those friends he’s toured and recorded with as well as his musical heroes show up to be “Guest Artists” with the band or sit in from time to time. People such as Bill Champlin, Tom Scott, Kenny Loggins, the Carlos Santana Band, Wayne Brady, Tower of Power, Clint Holmes, Ricky Peterson, Paul Peterson, Will Lee, Armando Peraza, etc. on and on.
Jerry is known and respected for his musical abilities as well as his integrity as a leader and friend to everyone he’s ever worked with in the business.
MUSICAST INTERVIEW/PODCAST: “Inside Musicast: Interview with Jerry Lopez.”
MUSIC
CD: "Negrita"
The CD contains 14 original songs by Jerry Lopez and friends, and produced by Jerry and James Hosmer. This project is a labor of love by Jerry and all of his friends and band members in “Santa Fe”, the Clint Holmes band, and the Ricky Martin band.
In this CD you will find an eclectic mix of music that is all a part of Jerry Lopez’s heart and soul and performances by some of the worlds greatest producers, writers, singers and musicians. Some of the guest musicians are listed below.
Bill Champlin, Larry Williams, Ronnie Foster, Greg Mathieson, Jay Graydon, Bruce Conte, Steven Lee Cowart, Lenny Lopez, Johny Hernandez, Gabriel Falcon, Pepe Jimenez, Eddie Garcia, Adrian Garcia, Rochon Westmoreland, Dave Hart, Nathan Tanouy, Greg Neer, Linwood Bell, Danny Falcone, Glenn Colby, Rob Mader, Philip Wigfall, Jerry Mera, Cocho Arbe, Waldo Madera, Frankie Perez, Jose Sibaja, Carlos Perez, Victor Vasquez, Hectore Infanzon, Arturo Ortiz and Bill Zappia.
CD: "Mis Raices"
I’ve talked about doing this project for many years. It’s a real departure from the R&B Funk Jazz Salsa stuff I’ve done in the past. It felt great returning to my musical roots! All the songs except for “Dejem Que me Emborache” are songs written or co-written by my father Gilberto Lopez. The majority of the songs date back to the 1960’s when my father was a guard in the “tower” of the New Mexico state penitentiary. The others were written not long after that.
Although other artists have recorded some of these songs, my brothers and I have not really ever recorded them. At least not this way, the way Dad always wanted to hear them.