When Frank Perez takes out his requinto, a small six-string guitar, the memories wash over him.
The recuerdos are countless, spanning six decades of songs, singing and social gatherings. His 81-year-old fingers are not as nimble as they once were, but his passion still burns for the melodies and lyrics that once coursed through Tucsonβs barrios, dance halls and lounges.
Perez and his two younger brothers, Fred and John, were the Hermanos Perez, the go-to trio when Tucsonβs Mexican-American families wanted to hear their favorite Mexican and American love songs. Initially the three were the Hermanitos Perez, when the brothers were in their teens and later, after years of interruption, they regrouped as the Hermanos Perez.
The brothers Perez have not performed publicly for more than 10 years but next month the trio will tune their instruments and blend their voices when they are inducted into the Tucson Musicians Museum.
βI live on the memories,β said Perez, sitting in his dining room in his south-side house built by his father in the late 1940s.
The induction will be part of the Eighth Annual Celebration of Music & Culture to be held April 12 at the Tucson Convention Center from 5 to 8 p.m. The event will also include the opening of the Tucson Musicians Museum, which will include memorabilia from more than 130 Tucson musicians and artwork depicting the local music scene.
In addition to the Hermanos Perez the other inductees include:
The late Jeffry Jahn β classical.
Bill Ronstadt and Ronstadt family members β folk.
The Sonoran Dogs, Brian Davies and Slim Edelman β bluegrass/country.
Adalberto Gallegos β Tejano singer.
The Perez brothers began as kids in the late β40s. Postwar Tucson was at the starting block of its explosive growth and Tucsonβs close-knit Mexican-American families were establishing their American identities while keeping alive Mexican customs and the Spanish language.
Frank said the starting point for their musical lives came when he heard the iconic Mexican Trio Los Panchos. Heβd listen to their music on 78 rpm records and fell in love with the harmonies and guitars.
Coming from a musical family, Frank taught himself to play the requinto. His brothers followed.
It didnβt take long before neighbors began clamoring to hear the Hermanitos Perez interpret classic boleros. By the early β50s the boys played with visiting celebrities, comedian Bob Hope for one and Mexican singer Tito Guizar for another. Perez said one of his most cherished memories was a live performance at the old Jerry Lee Ho market in Barrio Viejo on the radio program of Don Jacinto Orozco, who at the time was Tucsonβs beloved Spanish-language pioneer radio celebrity.
βWe were good for our age,β Perez said. βWe got better right away.β
But in 1956 the good times ended. The trio went into the service and their separate ways.
After leaving military service, Frank returned to Tucson and picked up where he left off musically. He became part of Los Elegantes, a popular quartet that included Roman Delgado, Willie Santa Cruz and Seferino βEl Yaquiβ Flores. Their four-part harmonies were heard frequently at the old Saddle and Sirloin, and Gus and Andyβs, among other places.
Los Elegantes were big in Tucson, probably more popular than when the Perez boys were playing. But the quartet ended, as well.
In 1970, Frank went to California where his brothers lived. They would occasionally play but just for themselves. Perez, however, knew that would change as well.
βI knew I was going to come back,β he said.
About 1987, the brothers reunited as the Hermanos Perez and again became a favorite in Tucson. The trio performed on Spanish-language radio, at the Marine Corps League Detachment club in South Tucson, at the Santa Rita Hotel and others, and lounges, including the now abandoned Spanish Trail.
βI was in heaven when we started playing again,β Perez said. βWe didnβt lose anything.β
They didnβt miss a beat, but by 2003 the trio had run its course. The brothers again disbanded and put away their instruments.
Perez takes out his requinto when the brothers get together at the family home on West 40th Street, to strum and sing. They remember when and reminisce. Itβs all good, said Frank.
βI miss it,β he said.