March 2009

Joe King Carrasco has been involved in acting for many years but in 2009 he stepped into the roles of writer and director with the release of his first film "Rancho No Tengo". The soundtrack with the same name was released in 2008 and is certainly one of Joe's most versatile albums to date. Living in Puerto Vallarta Mexico full time since late 2006 has let him remain in his favorite state of mind as much as possible... that is of course a Mexico state of mind. Playing as much as he wants in area venues, many weeks he does 5 shows at various locations, he's spending much of his spare time wrting music, attending advanced spanish classes, and relentlessly searching for the perfect desolate beach to hang out with his dogs.

Since the early 1980's Joe has been the toast of Texas as the crown regent of the "nuevo wavo" crowd. In 1978 he released an LP titled Tex-Mex Rock & Roll with his band El Molino. Somehow this record made its way to England and was re-released by Big Beat Records. Elvis Costello remarked in the press that it was "better than the Police".

In 1980 Joe and his new band, The Crowns, released their first single, Party Weekend, and the label chase began.The band became one of the first American groups signed to England's legendary Stiff Records. During this time Joe toured extensively throughout Europe, Central America, Bolivia and Columbia as well as across the USA and Canada, consistently delivering high energy performances where dancing was numero uno priority.

Rounding out his assault on the International music scene with an in-depth interview in Rolling Stone Magazine and an appearance performing his music on Saturday Night Live. His song Party Weekend which is still known as the quintessential party anthem, was re-released by MTV as Party Christmas, making Joe King Carrasco a household name to MTV viewers across the country.

Even with all this going on Joe knew he was ready to take his music to a new level. It was on the Stiff Records, Sons of Stiff Tour, while traveling with a British-born Jamaican band called The Equators, that Joe picked up much of his reggae influence. After returning from a very successfull year on the road, he put this experience to work and recorded the reggae flavored song "Don't Let a Woman (Make a Fool Out of You)" on his album Synapse Gap for MCA Records where he had the King of pop, Michael Jackson, singing background harmonies.

Joe's music is enhanced with an even greater Latin influence after living and studying in Nicaragua in the mid 1980's. His songs dealt with the unjust political situation of that period in Central America, and the resulting albums were; "Bordertown", "Bandido Rock" (off of which the song "Pachucco Hop" was recorded by the French group Mano Negra on thier first platinum selling CD), and "Royal Loyal & Live" (with the only live recording of the hit song Party Weekend).

Several years ago, His Majesty took a few left turns at Nogales and wound up playing with his band at a bar called Pancho y Lefty's in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. There, the Tex-Mex fell into a slow cool cumbia/reggae groove. This style seemed to be the musical answer to what Joe had been searching for from the Mayan pyramids to the shores of Lake Titicaca. This mystical conbination of Latino and Caribbean, with a little bit of Sam The Sham thrown in for a spicy flavor, has evolved into a style Joe has termed "tequila reggae". This influence can be felt in his more recent recordings including Dia de Los Muertos, Hot Sun, and Hey Te Guacho Cucaracho.

In 1995 MCA Records released a compilation CD set of Joe's music, though this set merely scratches the surface of this seasoned songwriter's catalogue. In early 1996 Joes' song Tell Me was recorded by The Texas Tornados, and sung by Freddy Fender, on their latest CD. His music has been placed on numerous movie soundtracks including Tin Cup starring Kevin Costner, Breathless with Richard Gere, James Gardners' Rockford Files, and more.

For many years, Joe has donated his time and music to make P.S.A.'s for the Tx. Parks & Wildlife Dept., helping to spread the word about keeping our beaches clean. In 1978 Joe's father was killed by a drunk driver. So he welcomed the opportunity to work with and support Tx.'s S.O.B.E.R. program, educating people about the pitfalls of driving while intoxicated.

These last few years he has acted in countless independent films and has become an up and coming filmmaker, with his first directed feature, “ Rancho No Tengo” to be released in 2008. The soundtrack, with its “West Texas Style,” and all original songs, written by Joe, is being released at the same time. In early 2006, Joe moved to beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with his three Jack Russells.

Joe likes to play and write music as much as he can, in the tropics, on the beach where every night is Saturday night. The West coast of Mexico seems to fit his needs very well at this point in his life. When he has time off, he can be found exploring the twisty backroads fom Coahuila all the way to Chiapas, chasing down good inspiration for another Tex-Mex song.

With thousands of live performances under his belt, a dozen albums to his credit, and fans circling the globe, it's little wonder Joe King Carrasco is still the #1 party act on the planet.