Comments on: Some LA Eastside legends, who’s the greatest?

By: Danny Sanchez

Danny Sanchez — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:35:20 +0000

Looking back a few years, how about the people who contributed to the music field from Boyle Heights, especially from Roosevelt High School to name a few?
Andres Rabago Perez aka Andy Russell, singer and actor.
Lou Adler, record producer and Grammy award winner.
Edmundo Martinez Totado aka Don Tosti, Bassist (Pachuco Boogie). Lennie Niehaus, Saxophonist, arranger and composer. Lionel “Chico” Sesma, Dee Jay and promoter.
Anybody remember Alex Yawhis? Radio Host for “The Make Believe Ballroom” and T.V. Dance show for teenagers in the fifties. Alex was better known as Al Jarvis.

Danny Sanchez
Roosevelt High School
Class of 1955

By: XicanoSerg

XicanoSerg — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:50:31 +0000

oh wow, dq i did not know Willie Davis was from Boyle Heights!

By: XicanoSerg

XicanoSerg — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:40:08 +0000

Although I wouldn’t classify them as legendary I would acknowledge the following two as great atheletes for making it all the way to the Major Leagues: Pitchers Bobby Castillo and Fred Martinez of Lincoln Heights. Castillo, as many of you know, led Lincoln High to the L.A. City Championships, made the L.A. Dodgers roster from 77-81,taught Fernando the screwball,was Minnesota Twins Pitcher of the Year in 1982 and wound up winning 38 big league games. He also appeared in the NL championship in 1985 against the St. Louis Cardinals, doing some mop up work after Bob Welch got bombed. Castillo is still employed by the Dodgers and you’ll see him partying in the Westside,rooting for the Dodgers during playoff time. Fred Martinez pitched for the Angels in 1980 going 7-9 and then was not heard from again in baseball. His topps card list Lincoln Heights as his residence and my bro Victor worked with his bro,Sergio at Shop Wise on Broadway and Hancock. I can’t seem to recall anybody else from the Eastside making it as far as these two.

By: don quixote

don quixote — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:58:45 +0000

Thanks Danny, I remember Fabela Chavez well, a great fighter from the East Side in the 50’s. Chavez was born in New Mexico but grew up on the Eastside like Art Aragon.
Chavez just recently passed away but his great heart and fighting skill will be long remembered.

By: Danny Sanchez

Danny Sanchez — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:07:36 +0000

There was another boxer from E.L.A during the late 40’s and early 50’s. His name was Fabela Chavez. I went to Lorena St School with his brothers, Robert and Mike.
Fabela donated some printed T shirts for our baseball team at Fresno Playground. We were called the “Fabulous Midgets” after his first name.

Danny Sanchez

By: tacosam

tacosam — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:53:02 +0000

Don’t forget, Oscar has titles in like 8 different weights. My vote is for Oscar. Loved how he would enter the ring holding both the Mexican and American flags. A true Chicano.

Envidia means “envy,” but it also implies backbiting and in commerce, even sabotage. Envidia is behind the common Mexican proverb “Pueblo chico, infierno grande” (Small town, big hell). When discussing envidia, particularly as it relates to business, many Mexicans tell the story of crabs in a pot of boiling water. When one crab tries to get out of the pot, the others pull him back down; if they can’t get out, why should he?

By: Ray the Birdie

Ray the Birdie — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:29:57 +0000

One of the most notable Eastsiders, Guy Gabaldon, who was responsible, almost single handedly, for the the surrender of an entire island of Japanese soldiers and civilians during World War II.

Atoy Wilson, was one of the first black ice skaters to go after a gold medal and ended up doing ice capades (he was also in Our Lady of Lourdes Boy Scout troop). Lived and grew up off of Brooklyn and Evergreen.

Los Lobos, Dave Hidalgo graduated from Garfield in 74.

Thee Midniters, Little Willie G, another band from East LA, come on who hasn’t danced to ‘Sad Girl’

And, the story as I have heard it, there was a band called the Euclid Avenue Express, who wrote a song that was supposedly stolen and renamed “Expressway to Your Heart”

Mural Artist George Yepes, grew up near Belvedere Jr High and graduated from Salesian (where he painted the first Mustang Logo on the old gym) in 74, he has also done album covers for Los Lobos “La Pistola y El Corazon’ Album and a large mural in the capital building in Sacramento.

Another Salesian graduate, Rick Alatorre (73), heads up the LAPD helicopter division, and has been heard once in a while doing local traffic reports.

Whenever I mention to people that I was born in East LA, everyone brings up Cheech Marin, who didnt even live in East LA, he lived in South Central. But Paul Rodriguez, and Carlos Mencia both did live in the eastside.

By: donquixote

donquixote — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:51:54 +0000

Vince, there is no doubt that Anthony Quinn is a product of the Eastside and one of the most influential people ever to come out of the area. He is one of the greatest actors ever, period. His roles as Zorba the Greek, and in the great great moral story and movie “The Oxbow incident, “La Strada”, and as Zapata’s (Marlon Brando) brother in “Viva Zapata”, are in my humble opinion a spot on authentic portrayal of the philosophy and lives of Mexicano’s and Mexican Americans. Stoicism, pride, humor even in the face of danger and death, that peculiar brand of fatalism that I found and recognize in most of my ancestors from past and present generations.
Quinn took those peculiar traits and made them universal qualities.

By: Vince

Vince — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:37:53 +0000

Dq- I was looking at your title, ‘Some LA Eastside Legends’,who’s the greatest? Please excuse my misunderstanding!! You and Mr Desmadre, post the most interesting and notable posts on this website in my opinion!! Perhaps, and it is true Mr. Quintanna was not born on the Eastside, yet he was raised here as a child, and had a very significant impact on the area! In my humble opinion I have to consider him an Eastsider, (but not an athlete, im sorry) yet Oscar was born in East Los Angeles, and trained in his early years, but he will always be considered a “Montebello Boy”, due to his graduation from Schurr High? He also attended Garfield as well, as we all know.

By: donquixote

donquixote — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:24:32 +0000

I agree Eric, Kenny Washington was one of the all time great athlete’s period, it makes one wonder about how good they would certainly be nowadays with all the modern training techniques and facilities. Besides Kenny Washington’s teamate the one and only Jackie Robinson, how about the incredible athlete and actor Woody Strode? His story is another whole episode in civil rights, and battling against the odds and racial injustice. Strode, after his athletic career was over became a great Hollywood actor (Spartacus, The Professionals,)and a close friend of the famed director John Ford.
What a backfield UCLA had!
Also another little tidbit of info, if you ever get a chance to see film of the great historic Jesse Owens winning the 100 meter dash at the 1936 Munich Olympics in front of Hitler and the Nazis, take notice of who was second and lost by a whisper, it was Mack Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s brother and a great athlete in his own right.
Could be I’m wrong but it seems that those giants of athletic competition and battlers for civil and human rights from yesteryear are in short supply nowadays.

Brother D, you know 20 or 30 years ago I might agree about Highland Park not being Eastside, but nowadays it is definitely an Eastside community in all aspects.
It seems the Eastside is expanding even in the face of gentrification moving into the Eastside.