Rancho Alegre Interview - David Lee Garza

2026-02-07

Recorded in 2012 at Palo Alto College in San Antonio. After we got kicked out of Whataburger because they didn't want us to record there - seriously. Much has been made of the decline of Tejano, and more than a few groups that made it big back in the 80s and 90s have either broken up quietly, faded into obscurity, limited their activity, melted down publicly, or have struggled to remain on the radar in a post-terrestrial radio world. One of the few that survived and continues to be as popular as ever, is David Lee Garza y Los Musicales. For over five decades, the band led by Poteet native and ...

Recorded in 2012 at Palo Alto College in San Antonio. After we got kicked out of Whataburger because they didn't want us to record there - seriously.

Much has been made of the decline of Tejano, and more than a few groups that made it big back in the 80s and 90s have either broken up quietly, faded into obscurity, limited their activity, melted down publicly, or have struggled to remain on the radar in a post-terrestrial radio world.

One of the few that survived and continues to be as popular as ever, is David Lee Garza y Los Musicales. For over five decades, the band led by Poteet native and accordion master David Lee Garza has consistently cranked out hit after hit, playing to packed houses everywhere they go.

DLG and the guys have a sound firmly rooted in Conjunto, but with just enough extras (saxophone, keyboards) to mix things up. It could be argued that DLG uses lead vocals almost like an instrument to subtly change the flavor of his catalog too, given the ever-changing roster of talented lead singers that have shaped the sound over the last three decades. In fact, this legacy has given rise to the phenomenon some refer to as “DLG U,” with alumni like Ram Herrera, Emilio Navaira, Jay Perez, Oscar G, and Marcos Orozco going on to Tejano superstardom after their days as Musicales. At the time of this interview, Juaquin Cura was DLG's latest singer. Cezar Martinez joined the group the following year and is still with the band.

We caught up with David on a beautiful day in San Antonio in 2012, and found him to be very down-to-earth and personable, yet professional. We think you’ll love hearing from one of the undisputed legends just as much as we did.

David Lee Garza y Los Musicales continue to perform all over the country and remain one of the most beloved bands in Tejano music history.

NOTE: Something we should point out is, well, DLG is a very prolific, hard-working musician, who is always in the studio. He has TONS of recordings, either with Los Musicales or as duets or cameos with other performers. Many of these were produced during the days of the big record companies and are just not available anymore. To produce a show worthy of his musical legacy, it was pretty rough getting so many hits by so many artists who worked with DLG and the guys. But somehow “El Parrandero” pulled it off. The song selection is unbelievable and even includes a couple extremely rare 45′s that we converted and cleaned up. Hardcore DLG fans, especially, will not be disappointed.

Here's what we played:

Buenos Consejos (with Daniel Garcez)

Strawberry Jam (as DLG y Su Conjunto, Del Bravo Records)

Todavia No Me Muero (with Ram Herrera)

Ya Veras (with Emilio Navaira)

Que Tristeza (with Jay Perez)

Live Popurri: Cuando Me Vaya De Aqui (Ram); Tu Boca Roja (Marcos Orozco); Ojo De Vidrio (Oscar G); Sonambulo (Emilio)

Me Bastas (with David Marez)

Ahora Soy Feliz (with Joey Martinez)

El Que Mas Te Ha Querido (with Oscar G)

Ojala (with Little Joe)

Es La Misma Mujer (AJ Castillo with DLG and Mark Ledesma)