Garibay (center) with the Commands. Those white gloves are next level.
It's a damn shame when it takes something like illness to bring together the talent amassed on this bill in support of Ernie Garibay. The San Antonio music legend and brother of puro pinche bluesman Randy Garibay ("Barbacoa Blues") was struck with aggressive renal cancer in 2011 and underwent two surgeries to remove it. Garibay also had a kidney removed and began chemotherapy the same year. By 2014 he was back playing shows with his brother's former group Cats Don't Sleep.
Unfortunately, the cancer has returned. In support of Garibay, a benefit concert has been put together with an impressive bill of San Anto legends including Sunny Ozuna, Augie Meyers, Jesse Borrego y Conjunto, Jimmy Spacek, Ram Herrerra, Ruben V, Jimmy Edward, David Marez, Fantasia and "surprise special guests." The event is BYOB and there will also be alcohol on hand, there is a suggested donation of $20 and the event will be held at Pueblo Hall, located behind Ingram Mall between Ingram Road and Wurzbach Road. The event will take place Sunday, February 28 from 7-11pm.
As a lifetime musician, Garibay is not only adept at a plethora of musical styles, but has been on the scene since the 1960s, a fixture at venues across the city such as Patio Andaluz and Lerma's Nite Club. Garibay can play through the breadth of western musical styles: classic standards from the Great American Songbook, conjunto, R&B, rock 'n' roll, jazz and blues. Most musicians, particularly those with Ernie's history of involvement, were never nine-to-fivers. Meaning that they haven't been paying into any social parachute. Instead, they live gig to gig, getting by merely on their skill and usefulness. Unfortunately, this means that many often don't have the means, insurance or otherwise, to tackle something like this without help. Make sure to get out there if you can and support Ernie. It promises to be one hell of a show.
Since 1986, the SA Current has served as the free, independent voice of San Antonio, and we want to keep it that way.
Becoming an SA Current Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.
