The Music of My Life: Rhythm, Melody and Personal Impact

Gabriel Abaroa, Jr.

The soundtrack of our lives, whoever we are, is a result of music experiences that—whether we know it or not—build up in our lives. I was very lucky because I was born into a family where music was always present. My parents loved to travel and it was always by car and it wasn’t considered traveling if there wasn’t music involved. Music was more important than gas. We would listen to music from the ’60s. We would listen and sing to Frank Sinatra, Perry Como or Mexican music, depending on the state we were traveling to.

And then there was the music from the movies. I clearly remember Oliver!, the first movie I went to see with all of my family. It was a British musical from the late 60s with Mark Lester and I can sing you every single song from that movie because it created such an impact on me, just like The Sound of Music or Singin’ in the Rain.

At age 12, I was sent to a boarding school in Kansas, and the radio was my partner. I listened to the Carpenters, Carole King, Jim Croce, Chicago, Elton John, and Led Zeppelin. When I returned to Mexico, somehow I became very interested in Brazilian music, and my family got me into Broadway musicals. Thankfully, my siblings, who were very much into pop in Spanish, taught me that kind of music, which brought me back to my roots. Just imagine that combination. I could have been nurtured by music in a pond, but I had the opportunity to learn music in a vast ocean.

Who I am today is the result of all these experiences. I don’t think you can work with music professionally if you don’t love it. When you have the opportunity to work around music—whether it’s Tex-Mex, salsa or tango—and get exposed to all kinds of genres, you understand why each culture is beautiful and has its own way of expressing itself. —As told to Isabela Raygoza

Gloria Molina

My mother listened to Spanish-language radio all the time when we were home. So, music was the backdrop to all that was going on. And, of course, you know when you’re a youngster or a kid, you don’t understand how heavy the themes of mariachi music are. I mean, it’s love or death. That’s something I started enjoying much later in life, when I really understood all the words.

As a kid, I also got to see a lot of live Mexican music. My parents were regulars at the Million Dollar Theatre and we would go see movies, and in between shows they always had a group that would come out and play. And so, I was introduced to many live acts that I didn't know at the time were pretty big acts. I also remember seeing Pedro Infante in the old ranchero movies. He was so handsome and sang so beautifully. I don't know what he would have been like as a performer in a concert per se because he was always sort of a character involved in the story of the movie, but he was really unique and special. I did get to see Lucha Villa in person many years ago.

Gloria Molina, 71, was the first Latina to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the California State Assembly. Early in her career, Molina became known for advocating for women's health. In 1970, she founded East L.A.’s Comisión Femeníl Mexicana Nacional, an organization of women who enhance and promote the image of Latina women in all levels of society. She also served in the Carter White House before being elected into public office in 1982. 

Bryan Derballa/August Images

But I have a lot of different styles of music that I like. Janis Joplin, while certainly not a Latino artist, was one of my favorites. When I first ran for office, in 1982, I happened to meet Alice Bag, a Chicana from the East Side. Alice Bag was well known in the old punk-rock era. She did some wonderful, strong songs—feminist songs about women’s personal power. She recently did a song about the Chicano Moratorium protest against the Vietnam War. With my daughter, we used to play Linda Ronstadt’s Canciones de Mi Padre over and over. 

I mean, Latinos are musical; we love our music. Everybody is moved by the beat and the sound of Latino music. Everybody knows that music is part of making you feel better. I always have it going on in the background. —As told to Katharine A. Díaz