hits since September 30, 2008

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The Tragic Story of

Royal Chessmen

El Monte, California

David Luna (lead vocals), Joe Luna (drums), Gilbert “Yukie” Zabala (lead guitar, vocals), John Albert Zabala (rhythm guitar, vocals), Raul Dovalina (Bass)

Unlike many of the Eastside’s garage bands that recorded in the mid-sixties the Royal Chessmen were never able to get the recognition they deserved. The territory that the band performed in was limited to the La Puente, El Monte and Rosemead area of the San Gabriel Valley. The Royal Chessman were homeboys from the barrio whose 15 minutes of fame came too late for any of them to enjoy.

The story of the Royal Chessmen and that of their sole recording is tragic story which crosses several of Los Angeles’ nineteen-sixties cultural divides. Tragedy and death surround “What I consider” the greatest ballad to come out of the barrios of the Los Angeles area.

Royal Chessmen performing at a high school dance.

The story begins in the Santa Fe Springs barrio of Canta Ranas where “Beatle-mania” had overcome David and Joe Luna, their cousins Gilbert and John Albert Zabala and drummer Raul Dovalina. David had been playing the guitar for about a year and was teaching his brother (Joe) and cousins (Gilbert and Albert) some licks. According to David “Gilbert mastered the guitar at a young age, man he could make it (the guitar) sing.” David was thirteen when they decided it was time to form their band. Since one of their other pass times was playing chess they decided to call themselves the Royal Chessmen

By 1966 the family had moved to El Monte where David Luna attended nearby Rosemead High School. For the next two years the Royal Chessmen played house parties, entering the occasional battle of the bands in and around the San Gabriel Valley. As the youngest group in the circuit they were going up against several of the better-known Eastside groups.  They did managed to put on a good show but were still too young to compete against the more polished groups that were performing on the circuit. 

 It was in El Monte that David met Steven Parent. Parent was attending Arroyo High School in El Monte and his father Wilfred Parent owned a small recording studio in El Monte where they arranged for a late night recording session with the Royal Chessmen.

With the money from his after school job David paid for the session time. The group had a couple of cover songs and an original that David and Yukie had written. The session produced one single for David Barkus’ Custom Fidelity Records. The A-side was a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s "You Must Believe Me" sung by Gilbert Zabala The B-side was the hauntingly beautiful “Beggin’ You” a masterpiece which, has all of the elements that make a true Eastside tearjerker. No horns, simple ice cream changes, beautiful lyrics and great vocals provided by David Luna everything you need for a perfect grinder.

Gilbert "Yukie" and John Albert Zabala

With what Luna had saved from his part time job all he could afford was a pressing of 250 records. After being turned down by Art Laboe, David’s mother took the record to Johnny Otis who liked it but turned it down as well. Without the right connections the Chessmen's record was destined for vinyl obscurity. Steve Parent and his father were the only links to the record industry and the group was too young to go it alone.

 Nearly two years later, on the afternoon of Friday August 8^th, 1969 Steve Parent went to visit William Garretson a friend who worked as the caretaker at Roman Polanski’s estate in the Benedict Canyon area of Beverly Hills. On his way out of the estate Parent, was met by Tex Watson, a follower of Charles Manson. The Manson family was about to commit one of the most gruesome and bizarre murders in Hollywood history. Their first victim was the eighteen year-old Steve Parent who was shot four times point blank by Tex Watson. In the trunk of Parent’s 1966 Nash Ambassador were the master tapes of the Royal Chessmen’s single.

Without their tapes and without any connections to the recording industry the group members started to go their own way and by 1970 the Royal Chessmen were history. David Luna sang lead for Danny Rios’ group Sangria for a short while, Albert Zabala who had put together a new group called The Committee passed away in 1973 and Joe and Gilbert both landed in the State prison system.          

During the mid-seventies a bootleg copy of "Beggin’ You" popped-up, it was released by a local record hustler known to local record store owners as “Bootin’ Bernie” because of the many singles he release on several bootleg labels. The single was first released on the bootleg Angie label and then as Riot 001. The song started to get interest and popularity among record collectors, eventually making its way back to the barrios of Los Angeles where it came from.

In the summer 1998 Robert Ramos of Lost Soul Records contacted David Luna, the only living and free member of the group. Ramos was going to play “Beggin’ You” on Mega100’s Sunday night oldie show. Thirty-two years after it was recorded three generations of the Royal Chessmen’s family sat together in the Luna’s living room to listen “Beggin’ You” on the radio for the first time.

L-R: John Albert, Joe Luna, David Luna and "Yukie"

As a long time collector I had always heard stories about the Custom Fidelity single however, I had never seen it and those that claimed to own a copy never produced it. Finally, I purchased a copy from San Jose record collector Tommy Siquiero for a pricey sum. For someone who is trying to piece together the history of the Chicano group sound of the sixties the record was well worth the price. First of all only 250 were ever pressed. How many have survived the 43 years since its pressing—probably not too many.

As you can see on the scan someone at Johhny Otis’ ELDO Record Company had taken a serious look at the single. Written in marker is the pertinent recording information like time, publishing company and ELDO on top. On the A side Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom publishing company and writers credits are also written in marker.  This is a true piece of East Los Angeles' musical history.

Click the song title below for a sample of “Beggin You.” I’m also including samples of my five favorite Eastside tearjerkers. Feel free to let me know what you consider your favorite ballad to come out of East Los Angeles during the sixties.

1.  Beggin’ You- Royal Chessmen

2.  My Heart Cries- Romancers

3.  It’ll Never Be Over For Me- Thee Midniters

4.  Girl Of My Dreams- David and Ruben

5.  My Girl (Please Be True)- Parlay Brothers

Los Fabulocos at Greune Hall in New Braunfels, TX

Los Fabulocos on stage at Opal Divines in Austin, TX

David  Hidalgo ready for war with Jack Knife and the Sharps. Clearlake, IA

Cesar Rosas, Chris Montes, David Hidalgo & Conrad Lozano after their performance at the 50 Winters Later Dance Party

       Chris Montez performing at 50 Winters Later in       Clear Lake, IA

 

Chicano Soul: Recordings and History of an American Culture

Mictlan Publishing announces the publication of “Chicano Soul: Recordings and History of an American Culture” by Ruben Molina. The book traces the history of Mexican American popular music in the 1950s and 1960s -- from Sunny and the Sunliners and the Royal Jesters of San Antonio, Texas to groups such as Tierra and Thee Midniters in Los Angeles, California.

Molina, who has amassed one of the most extensive collections of records and Chicano music memorabilia, describes the effort to produce “Chicano Soul” as a labor of love. “It’s the first comprehensive, intimate look at the music that was lovingly created by Chicanos throughout the American Southwest,” says Molina. He adds: “This music of the 1950s and 1960s flourished during a time when Soul music was the ‘hip thing’ and garage bands sprang up in barrios  throughout the Southwest. For the first time, all of the great groups of the Southwest tell their story and reveal what the Chicano has always known – that Soul music runs through our veins.”- Luis Torres

Advance praise for “Chicano Soul” comes from the likes of Louie Perez of Los Lobos who has written: “The lost music of America is found! This is a cool stroll down the Memory Lane of Chicano Soul music.”

The book, which is chocked full of vintage photos and colorful graphics is a companion to "The Old Barrio Guide To Low Rider Music 1950-1975" previously published by Mictlan Publishing. Both books are available through this web site or participating book stores.

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