Sunny Ozuna, Jimmy Edward: unleash heat, memories

The musical sparks began shooting through the air just after 8 p.m. Jimmy Edward, backed by an awesome band - including five horns - had just walked on stage. The occasion was the Edgewood Alumni Association's Scholarship Dance

 on Saturday at the Fountain Bleu Ballroom in far northwest San Antonio.

The good news for the EAA was that the show was sold out (900-plus)- a nice fund-raising effort for the group. The association, led by Executive Board President Frank Espinoza, has raised and donated more than $70,000 in the last seven years.
Meanwhile, Saturday night was indeed, as Edward said at the outset, "a trip down memory lane." 

I hadn't caught a Edward or Sunny Ozuna show -  to be honest - in several years. Sure I caught a song or two at numerous events on a regular basis.

But actually sat down and listened to an entire set by each? Way too long.

Through the evening I was reflecting on how these men struggled to reach their own zenith in the Tex-Mex world.

The facts of their struggles, their rise and eventual arrival is all well documented in my 1999 book "The Billboard Guide to Tejano and regional Mexican Music," on Billboard Books.

Both names are legends, who transcended social and economic obstacles to make their own mark.   

"Todos Dicen," "Vuela La Paloma," "Still of the Night," "Manana Me Ire," all sparkled under Edward's vocals, especially under the massive heat generated by that five-horn section. 

Like other Tejano artists, Edward always had a special appreciation for R&B and soul.

He showed it when his a band ripped into Sam and Dave's classic "Knock on Wood." 

9:09 p.m. Short band break...be right back 

9:12 p.m. After the break, Edward hit a homer with the rhythmic "Tu Prieto," a tune about love's endless pursuit. The massive horn section was riveting