Tejano music legend and TV host Johnny Canales passed away on June 12, 2024, he was 67. Canales will be remembered for a giving soul who was there to illuminate and give a hand up to new Tejano talent on his show, the Corpus Christi-based TV show The Johnny Canales Show, which ran from 1983 to the mid 1990’s.

He would introduce young and well known music talents with his signature phrase “You Got It, Take it Away”.  It was a show that captivated audiences near and far introducing talents like a teenage Selena who appeared on his show a couple of times before her career took off.  Canales was known at that time as the “Mexican American Dick Clark”.

Author, Filmmaker, & Activist David Damian Figueroa, was a friend of Canales throughout the years.  Figueroa, who was a publicist back in the day, would bring his clients to Canales show. In honor of Canales’ legacy Figueroa said:

“Johnny Canales was a true American hero who championed the uniquely American music genre of Tejano. His influence extended far beyond borders, as his show was broadcast in 23 countries, showcasing the vibrant sounds of Tejano music to a global audience. 

Canales’s ability to seamlessly blend Spanglish, with his tagline delivered in English to an audience that predominantly spoke Spanish, further solidifies his legendary status. His story serves as a testament to the power of music to transcend language barriers and unite people from diverse backgrounds. 

He was instrumental in inspiring other Corpus Christi hometown talents, like Selena, Freddy Fender, Pepe Serna, and Eva Longoria, who all went on to become icons in their own right.  As for me, Johnny was my good friend, compadre, and colleague.  He taught me a lot about the entertainment business and civil rights and how to merge both to help our community.  Johnny Canales’ legacy as a pioneer in promoting.”

David Damian Figueroa

There is a documentary currently in post production entitled Take It Away: The Rise and Fall of Tejano Hollywood that will recount Canales’ significant contribution to Tejano music.The documentary will shed light on Canales’ significant contributions to the Tejano music scene and his enduring legacy.

Canales’ legacy will live on in our hearts, in the talent he showcased, and now in this upcoming documentary

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Selena: The Series Part 1 left fans wanting more, and Netflix is ready to deliver. According to Netflix, the series, which first debuted in December 2020, was seen in over 25 million households in the first four weeks. It gave the audience more insight into the early life of Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla-Perez. The streaming platform confirmed part two of the popular series will premiere on May 4.

Part 2 will deliver nine more episodes of the beloved music icon life and tragic death that 26 years later gathers new fans.  

Part one introduced Quintanilla’s family and her soon-to-be husband and Los Dinos’ guitar player, Chris Perez, played by Jesse Posey. It ended with the ‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom’ singer in tears after her father, Abraham Quintanilla (Ricardo Chavira), in a rage, fires Chris after discovering they’ve been secretly dating. 

This upcoming season will focus more on the rise of Selena and her band Los Dinos. It will also introduce Yolanda Saldívar, played by Natasha Perez, the woman who killed Tejano music icon, Selena. Saldivar’s appearance in the series is brief, appearing in just one scene. Although Selena’s death is part of the story, the series will focus less on her death and more on celebrating her life. 

 The family and band members’ characters are the focus of the last nine episodes with the return of Christian Serratos (The Walking Dead) as Selena, Gabriel Chavarria as A.B. Quintanilla, Ricardo Chavira as Abraham Quintanilla, Noemí Gonzalez as Suzette, Seidy López as Marcella Quintanilla. Los Dino band members played by Julio Macias, Carlos Alfredo Jr., and Hunter Reese Pena will return.

Fans will see more of an independent and empowered side of Selena in the next part of the series. “…the intention is for more episodes to come, and to show that trajectory of Selena as she essentially is a married woman and starts her journey as a crossover artist,” Moisés Zamora, writer, and producer of the series told Entertainment Tonight.

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As many people debate the pros and cons of Trump’s border wall, the issues at play are starkly laid out in Tejano, an action thriller set on the U.S.-Mexico border to debut on itunes, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu and other digital platforms on March 26.  The feature film, which is distributed by Outsider Pictures, has won numerous awards including the Audience Award at the 2018 Dallas International Film Festival.  The film will be recognized by the Texas State House of Representatives and will screen at the Texas State Capitol on March 22^nd and will play at the San Diego Latino Film Festival on March 23. 

“I set Tejano in the Rio Grande Valley, along the Mexico-U.S. border where I was born,” says director/producer David Blue Garcia. “The film touches on many of the issues that affect South Texas, including the border wall, the drug trade, cartel violence, immigration laws and health care. Tejano does not set out to take political sides but instead to show how these issues affect the day-to-day lives of its characters and influence their choices. The story is told in a style that has been called a thriller/western hybrid or Tex-Mex Noir. It is definitely meant to be entertaining and full of dark humor.”

 Tejano is the story of Javi (Patrick Mackie), a South Texas farmhand who lives and works with his grandfather, Arturo (Roland Hector Uribe). Javi dreams of leaving the border with his Mexican girlfriend but when his grandfather becomes ill, Javi, desperately turns to a Mexican cartel to make some quick cash. Javi embarks on a harrowing journey in which he first swims across the Rio Grande River, evades the border patrol and then faces the border wall, only to find that the cartel has different plans for him.

A favorite on the festival circuit, Tejano was shot entirely on the border of South Texas and in Nuevo Progreso Mexico has garnered over 10 film awards.  All of the actors are bilingual Texas natives and most are native to South Texas. null

 The festival award-winning Tejano was shot entirely on the border of South Texas and in Nuevo Progreso Mexico.  All of the actors are bilingual Texas natives and most are native to South Texas.

“The story itself slithers with twists and turns and unexpected betrayals…” – Austin Chronicle

Garcia is an Emmy Award-winning director and cinematographer based in Austin, Texas. He has lensed six independent feature films including his directorial debut, Tejano. 

Instagram:  @Tejanomovie

Tejano runs 1 hour and 29 minutes and is both in English and Spanish. Writers are Kyle Bogart (Screenplay) with Story by David Blue Garcia

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