"Cloud nine is too low," says Emilio, of his feelings during the year his first country album came out. "I was in my hometown, San Antonio, when I first heard "It's Not The End Of The World" on country radio, and I stopped my car in the middle of traffic. Hearing my song being played on a country station made me flash back to all the work I'd done leading up to this, starting with singing along to my dad's Bob Wills records when I was four years old."
The accomplishments kept piling up for Emilio during the rest of the year. His album, Life Is Good, debuted at #13 on Billboard's country chart; Alan Jackson became a fan and asked Emilio to tour with him; he performed on the prestigious New Faces Show at the annual Country Radio Seminar; and earned one of the sought-after rising-star "bumper spots" on the Country Music Association Awards Show.
"When we started working on this album, I thought about the past year," Emilio says. "I realized that I'm just where I want to be, that I'm having a blast. It's that same feeling you have when you're young, with no responsibilities weighing you down and everyone just having a good time. I want to share that feeling. That's what I tried to capture with this album. If I can make people feel that same way when they hear these songs, then, hey, 'It's on the house.' That's what the album title means."
A young-and-carefree spirit dominated this sophomore album, and "Forever 17" sums it up perfectly. A remembrance of hanging out on sunny days, waiting for the girl you have a crush on to show up, the song brings back a rush of teenage memories. "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not" bounces along, happily contemplating the delicious confusion of romance. Emilio describes the sweetly silly "Doll Like You" as a song for the grandpas to sing on the front porch. "I'd Love You To Love Me" is a hook-heavy valentine; while "She Gives" offers a more mature appreciation of love, noting the sacrifices a wife makes and the support she provides to her husband.
Emilio started performing at family gatherings almost as soon as he began talking. At four he got his first guitar. "I didn't know how to play, but I knew how to sing and at holidays the whole family would get together - it's a very big family - and we'd sing. The song that my dad sang at every one of these gatherings was 'Dance Across Texas,' a Texas Playboys song." When Emilio did start to master the guitar, the first song he learned was "Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain," by Texas's own Willie Nelson. In fifth grade, Emilio auditioned for and won the only solo in the school choir, singing the folk tune, "Abraham, Martin and John." The kids did a mini-tour, performing for other elementary schools nearby. "I was the man," says Emilio, laughing. "I thought I was a big shot, on the school bus, going on tour." The fact that the girls in his class were impressed by his status made it even better. Emilio found his career.
Throughout elementary and high school, Emilio participated in statewide singing competitions, sang in the choir and acted in school plays. At 17 he graduated from high school, earned a voice scholarship and entered the Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. After his third year, he realized that his studies were leading to a career as a music teacher or a choir leader, while his love of music involved performing. "I went home from school that summer after my third year and I knew I wasn't going back," he recalls. "I didn't tell my Mom that." Instead he tried out for a local Tejano band, led by David Lee Garza, and won the spot as lead singer.
"When it came time to go back to school, I told my mom. 'Don't even pack for me, I'm not going back.' It was the hardest thing I've done in my life." His mother was not happy about the decision. His father, who also disliked the idea, said to his young son, "Well, get to work. Prove this is what you want to do." It didn't take long before his parents saw that their son had made the right decision.
Emilio worked with Garza for five years. Though he had never performed with a band before, his formal training as a singer kept his voice from getting ragged and his experience in drama put him at ease in front of audiences. "I picked up the guitar every once in a while," he says. "and then, for a while I picked up the banjo." He hesitates, looks down, smiles and admits, "They told me to put it down." He always performed country music as well as Tejano, and when he formed his own band, Rio, they played a mix of rock-flavored Spanish music and traditional country. When he got his own record contract on EMI Latin, he included one country song on each of his seven albums. He won multiple Tejano Music Awards as Male Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album and Showband of the Year and picked up an impressive international following in the process.
With Life Is Good, Emilio got the chance to make a full-fledged country album. "Doing a country album wasn't a drastic change for me. There's a real relationship between Tejano and country music. I certainly could have started out in a country band, but David Lee Garza was my way of getting on stage, of making a living doing what I wanted to do, of reaching an audience in the beginning. I learned a lot working with him."
Though he was already a seasoned performer, opening the show for Alan Jackson's tour in 1996 added to Emilio's store of knowledge. "Just observing Alan Jackson is a lesson," Emilio says. "You learn a lot when you play to an arena crowd. You cater more to people, find out how to pace yourself, how to speak to the audience. It's like going to school." Those lessons serve Emilio well on his 1997 tour with Clay Walker, Terri Clark and James Bonamy.
"Last year was a tremendous year," Emilio says. "Everything was new and I was excited. Now I feel more at ease. I want people to get to know me a little better. It's On The House is meant to feel as if I'm sitting next to you, singing a song, for fun." Just like one of those big family gatherings. Just like reaching Cloud Twelve.
(Previous Bio Information Follows)
Life Is Good, Emilio's Capitol Nashville debut marks his entry into country music, but be assured he's no novice. As one Texas deejay commented: "Emilio is riding the biggest crest of popularity ever seen by any other star in the history of Tejano music. He has the popularity of a George Strait." He's been a force on industry trade charts since 1991, when he released Unsung Highways, followed by 1992's Emilio Live, 1993's Southern Exposure and his current release Life Is Good.
Born and raised in the Lone Star State (San Antonio), Emilio won a scholarship in voice to the Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. After three years, he left school to pursue a musical career. He spent several years on the road with David Lee Garza before forming his own band, Rio, whose sound was based on a mixture of rock-flavored Spanish music and traditional country. The result was electric. Emilio is credited with being a driving force in propelling Tejano music from a regional genre to the fastest growing form of Latin-based music in America. He's been nominated for two Grammy awards, won multiple Tejano Music Awards for Male Entertainer of the Year, Album and Showband of the Year, and picked up an impressive international following in the process.
The rich mix of musical styles that flavor Texas - including Tejano and country - have been part of Emilio's live show since he first started playing Texas clubs and honkytonks. Emilio is know for pushing the boundaries of Tejano music ("Tejano" literally meaning "a Hispanic from Texas") by adding his own blend of country and rock to the traditional German polka and conjunto stylings that define the Tejano sound.
Produced by Barry Beckett, Life Is Good opens with the two-stepping charmer, "Even If I Tried." Other album highlights include the passionate ballad "Its Not The End Of The World," the joyous "I Think We're On To Something," the Skip Ewing/Don Sampson-penned country burner "Long As I Got You," and a soulful reading of the Van Morrison classic "Have I Told You Lately." Spanish versions of "It's Not The End Of The World" ("No Muere El Mundo Sin Ti") and "Have I Told You Lately" ("Hace Cuanto He Dicho Que Te Amo") are also included.
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