Paco Betancourt
Encyclopedia
Paco Betancourt was an American businessperson, record producer and mayor of San Benito, Texas
.
, which also housed the Ideal Records recording studio. The Rio Grande Music Co. was primarily a coin-operated vending company that owned and serviced jukebox
es and pinball
machines. In the 1920s, Paco Betancourt owned and operated the Queen Theatre in Brownsville, Texas
, which was the first theatre in the Rio Grande Valley
to show talking movies. By the late 1940s and early 1950s, local music of the day—the early Tejano
and conjunto
music of South Texas—had become a popular genre and good business for record producers and jukebox operators. The local nightclubs, ballrooms, and bars clamored to capitalize on the popularity of the music as well as the singers, musicians, and orchestras of the day.
Paco Betancourt's Rio Grande Music Co. opened a studio where many of the recordings of the day were recorded and distributed to the local jukeboxes. Some of the engineering chores were by a gifted young local singer and musician recording for the label named Baldemar Huerta, who would soon be known to the music world as Freddy Fender
. Throughout his career of 50 years, Freddy—or Balde, as he was known locally—was always public about his humble beginnings and his early history in the small South Texas town of San Benito.
Mr. Betancourt later entered politics and was elected mayor of San Benito, Texas. He died on September 5, 1971. Paco is considered to be a pioneer in the history of South Texas recorded music. He is inducted into the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum in San Benito.
San Benito, Texas
San Benito is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 24,250 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of Country and Tex-Mex music icon Freddy Fender. San Benito celebrated the 100th anniversary of the naming of the city April 3, 2007. The post office was named Diaz...
.
Biography
Paco Betancourt owned and operated the Rio Grande Music Co. in San Benito, TexasSan Benito, Texas
San Benito is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 24,250 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of Country and Tex-Mex music icon Freddy Fender. San Benito celebrated the 100th anniversary of the naming of the city April 3, 2007. The post office was named Diaz...
, which also housed the Ideal Records recording studio. The Rio Grande Music Co. was primarily a coin-operated vending company that owned and serviced jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
es and pinball
Pinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
machines. In the 1920s, Paco Betancourt owned and operated the Queen Theatre in Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, which was the first theatre in the Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
to show talking movies. By the late 1940s and early 1950s, local music of the day—the early Tejano
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
and conjunto
Norteño (music)
Norteño , also norteña or conjunto, is a genre of Mexican music. The accordion and the bajo sexto are norteño's most characteristic instruments. The norteño genre is popular in both Mexico and the United States, especially among the Mexican community...
music of South Texas—had become a popular genre and good business for record producers and jukebox operators. The local nightclubs, ballrooms, and bars clamored to capitalize on the popularity of the music as well as the singers, musicians, and orchestras of the day.
Paco Betancourt's Rio Grande Music Co. opened a studio where many of the recordings of the day were recorded and distributed to the local jukeboxes. Some of the engineering chores were by a gifted young local singer and musician recording for the label named Baldemar Huerta, who would soon be known to the music world as Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender , born Baldemar Garza Huerta in San Benito, Texas, United States, was a Mexican-American Tejano, country and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados...
. Throughout his career of 50 years, Freddy—or Balde, as he was known locally—was always public about his humble beginnings and his early history in the small South Texas town of San Benito.
Mr. Betancourt later entered politics and was elected mayor of San Benito, Texas. He died on September 5, 1971. Paco is considered to be a pioneer in the history of South Texas recorded music. He is inducted into the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum in San Benito.