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"To the memory of my mother, who could sing a song or two; and to all the other singers of the Border, who left part of themselves in my keeping.
-The dedication in A Texas-Mexican Cancionero, by Américo Paredes
On November 5, 2016, hundreds of people convened at the historical landmark of Chicano Park in Barrio Logan, San Diego, to celebrate the life of one of the community's most revered elders, Ramón "Chunky" Moroyoqui Sánchez. Nuestro querido maestro falleció el día 28 de octubre de 2016. Sánchez, endearingly known as Chunky, was synonymous with Barrio Logan, Chicano Park, Chicano/a music, and San Diego in general. In this city, an auditorium is named in his honor. His image is incorporated in murals. The Chicano comedy troupe Culture Clash developed a vignette about Chunky, and upon his passing the San Diego Chargers' website featured him in a blog post that included a photo of him with players and cheerleaders. Chunky was also well known beyond the Imperial Valley. The music of Los Alacranes Mojados (the group he started with his brother, Ricardo Sánchez) continues to be embraced in Mexicano/a and Chicano/a communities throughout California and the Southwest. The news of Sánchez's passing reverberated throughout California like the violent ripples of a pond into which a boulder has been dropped. Ese vato will be missed.
There are a variety of reasons why we will miss him. He represents the congealing of Chicano/a traditions in the United States, following in the footsteps of Mexicano/a and Mexican American performers such as Pedro González, Lalo Guerrero, El Dueto de los Moreno, and Ritchie Valens, musicians who paved the way for the talents of Martha González and Quetzal Flores of the group Quetzal, Raul "Bully" Pacheco of Ozomatli, Dr. Loco and the Rockin' Jalapeños, and many others. His work as a musician, songwriter, storyteller, comedian, teatrista (Chicano/a theater artist), and activist will continue to provide a powerful model for new cultural workers in Latino/a communities throughout the United States.
Chunky's contributions to the cultural landscape and soundscape of California, particularly in the development of Chicano/a and Mexicano/a expressions, were vast and were highly shaped by his upbringing. Born in Blythe, California, he began learning music from his mother and uncles along with...