Los Lobos wasn’t the first band from East Los Angeles. The district has long been home to one of the largest Mexican-heritage populations in the U.S. and its younger residents gravitated to R&B and rock ’n’ roll by the 1950s. Producer-entrepreneur Eddie Davis caught some of the sounds coming out of East L.A. by launching several indie labels, including Rampart Records. Land of 1000 Dances chronicles the Rampart story with a set of four CDs incorporated into a profusely illustrated hardcover book.
As a child, Davis was a bit player in 1930s-’40s Hollywood. After returning from World War II, Davis operated several grills and supper clubs in L.A. while dreaming of making a mark in entertainment. In 1961, Rampart Records debuted with a platter by the doo-wop duo Phil & Harv. Doo-wop, an elaborate style of vocalizing usually associated with the East Coast (e.g. The Four Seasons), left a mark on many groups heard on Land of 1000 Dances—even as late as the 1969 single, “The Girl in My Dreams,” by David and Ruben. Given the ethnicity of many (not all) Ramparts’ artists, it’s not surprising that a Latin touch is sometimes audible in the horn charts and rhythms.
At worst, some tracks were trite and in search of yesterday’s trends. However, sometimes Davis and his artists were onto something. The Village Callers were recording Hammond B-3, congas and timbales-driven rock before Santana broke. Land of 1000 Dances also includes some good unknown soul acts, including the Atlantics, a 1963-era group with Barry White singing lead. Rock collectors will enjoy the 1964 cuts by Cannibal & The Headhunters, whose pile-driving rhythms looked ahead toward Detroit bands from a couple years down the line.
