Our Spanish Family Stories: March 2007

Visit to San Leandro

I was in California last week on business and was lucky enough to spend a day in San Leandro. I got to visit Aunt Emily, who graciously shared her Vigallon Family history book with me. I really enjoyed talking to her and looking at the book. And cousins Margaret and Marge and Margaret's husband Earl were kind enough to show me around San Leandro. We went to the site of the Vigallon's first house on First Avenue (now Marina Blvd):

Site of Vigallon House on First Avenue (Marina Blvd) - 1

Then we drove down a scant three blocks and saw the actual house where the Castro's first lived on Cherry Street:

I loved it when they told me stories about almost every house down the block

including the little Grocery store where I guess our family ran up a tab all winter and then paid it off with summer work

Then they showed me the houses where many of our family had lived growing up and where many still lived. We even bumped into cousin Manuel, who was doing some work at Aunt Margaret's. That was pretty amazing for a girl like me who has always lived in places where I had no extended family at all. I just loved it.

We got to see the house where I think my Dad drove into the porch and my Grandpa John didn't get mad (which was worse than if he had)

and even the church where my parents were married (sorry, Mom and Dad, I couldn't resist :)

Our last stop was the Peralta House that I had heard so much about, and which did not disappoint. The story goes that Uncle Joe did all the incredible gorgeous tile work in the interior gardens. Papa Vigallon helped with plastering the exterior wall and buried a gallon of home made wine under the third step of the front stairs (with permission from the contractor, Juan Azavedo).

The tiling reminded me so much of Spain. And there was a lot of mosaic that was just like what was happening in Barcelona at the time, with Gaudí. It was very cool.

I had a great time. There are a lot more pictures of my trip. You can see them all (or see them in larger sizes) by clicking here and jumping to Flickr.

DON RODRIGUES, THE MUSIC YEARS, PART ONE

My son, Don Rodrigues, was 'raised' on Rock and Roll. I always had the radio, or my records, playing music, all day long. Besides that, with all the musicians in the Castro family, how could he not love music?

About the age of 8 or 9, while he was in grammar school, one of his favorite classes was music. There was no hesitation about which instrument he wanted to learn. After watching his uncle, Tony Castro, playing the drums, that is what he chose. In time, he was the drummer for the school band. He enjoyed it so much that the next step was to get his own drum set. Which he did, from his Uncle Tony.

In Jr. HIgh School, (age 14/15) he played in the school band, and also formed a rock band and a jazz band of his own. One year they entered the rock band, "The Boomerangs" in a Battle of the Bands contest in San Leandro, and won first prize.

Before the end of Jr. High, he won a scholarship for two weeks at the University of Nevada, in Reno. He attended seminars and took lessons from Louis Bellson, legendary drummer, composer, and conductor. (Bellson was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of fame in 1993.)

In the mid 60's, while in High School, he played in the school and, and in the "Youth of America" group. (They once performed with Tennessee Ernie Ford at the Oakland Coliseum.) At this time, he joined a 4 piece high school Motown band called the Ovations, that played local clubs, and hot places like the Portuguese Hall in Hayward! Then he formed another 7 piece show band, called, "Step One," and they played soul music (James Brown, Sam Cook, Ike and Tina Turner, etc) all around the bay area in regular and "After Hour" clubs till six a.m. in the morning, on weekends.

By 1969-70 he went back to Rock and Roll and called this band, "Concrete." The band was getting well known, and were booked to play at Bill Graham's Fillmore West, at the end of the hippie days, in San Francisco. His father, my son Steve, and I attended that show. (His father and I, ages 39/40 were the oldest people there.) Everyone sat on the floor for the show, and during the evening, someone in our "row" passed a toke to us, and needless to say, we quickly passed it on! :-) After the performance we went back stage to see Don. What a revelation that was! The back stage room had all the walls signed by all the big acts that played there. Janis Joplin, BB King, The Allman Brothers, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, etc. Steve was about 14 years old at the time, and he was excited to see the musicians from all the other bands. Typical teenager, he wanted to stay longer. Don offered to take him home later, but I said 'no.' A few feet away from us, a musician, wearing a Superman tee shirt came over to me and said " Awww let him stay." I turned toward him and said "Hey Superman, he's a kid, and he has school tomorrow." With that said, we left. After all these years, my sons still have a good laugh when they remember that incident.

Don graduated in June 1970, and band music was now Hard Rock. This band was called "Snake Root." They played at concerts in the Bay Area, Sacramento Area and Santa Cruz. His band opened for headliners like, Tower of Power, Elvin Bishop, and Stoneground. They also opened for comedians, Cheech and Chong. They were booked in clubs up and down the west coast. From Santa Cruz to Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado, and once, at a concert in Monterey, his band opened for the Mobey Grape band.

By 1974, his band was renamed "The Sonics" and they played top 40's music in night clubs and hotel lounges throughout California, Oregon, Washington, and parts of Canada. (These club bands were called "Lounge Lizards.")

Around 1975 he dissolved his band, went back to Los Angeles with another band that had a potential record and they played all the showcase rock clubs in and around Hollywood. At that time, the producer of the band set them up in a small 3 bedroom cottage in Malibu, on the beach behind a huge mansion that was lived in by the trombone player of the band, Chicago. While in L.A. he also sat in as a drummer for the Coasters. The record deal eventually fell through, so he auditioned for and got a gig with the singer, Cal Roberts, and his 8 piece show band. Back to Motown music, performing in Los Angeles, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Las Vegas.

From 1976 to 1978 he had his own Vegas type show band, "Sanctuary." They played in Las Vegas, North and South shores in Lake Tahoe, Reno, and a long stint at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. During one of Don's Reno engagements, he was offered a job with singer, Fabian's Band. But he turned it down, as the pay was not enough, for all the traveling that he would have to do in the East Coast during winter.

Disco music was competing with top 40's music about the time that Don' band, "Prime Time" was playing from Seattle, Washington, to Newport Beach, California. Primarily for the Black Angus restaurants and in Lake Tahoe and Reno at various casinos. 1978 to 1981. It was at this time, that besides drumming, he became one of the lead singers in the band.

His last band was "Rock Candy." 1981 to 1984. Back to Rock music, and clubs from Southern California to Northern Caloifornia. It was at this time that cousin, Ron Kuzmicky, became one of the "roadies" for the band.

In the early 80's Don partnered with his brother, Steve, to record some original music they had written, with Steve's wife, Denise, composing the words. Laurence Juber, (former guitarist with Paul McCarney's band, Wings) helped produce some of the songs. They had some air play in San Francisco, and Atlantic Records showed some interest, but the negotiations fell through.

In February 1984, at the age of 32, Don put his band to rest, and got a day job. That story is coming up in "Part Two."