First of all, I would like to thank God for giving us another day of life, and Carlos and Canasta Records for bestowing this Honor on me.I was completely surprised by this and have since sat here and thought about whether I was the right person for thisthen I figured that if someone who I truly admire and consider a very good friend asked me to do this, it is because he thinks that I could do a man like Johnny El Brujo Cruz justice.So here it goes..
In searching for the one word that would best describe Johnny I came across a line from one of the songs he performed it says Me dicen el gallo giro, porque a NADIE le timido that one line best epetimizes who Johnny was, and how I would like to remember him. He was fearless in life, and he was fearless with his musical style. I remember when I first heard the name Johnny El Brujo Cruz .I was still just getting into conjunto and getting to know some of the very talented artists in the industry.but that name stood out because it was so unique El Brujo My next question was how did that name come to be? Well legend has it that another conjunto legend DJ MARKY MARK gave him that name.the story is that backstage, before a show MARKY MARK witnessed Johnny setting his hands on fire before hitting the stageUpon seeing that DJ MARKY MARK said something to the effect of damn vato, you a brujo oh que? and from there the Legend was bornI cant prove if that story is real or fakebut it sure as hell sounds good, right? There are only two people that know the real truth and they are both laughing at us from above. Well from there his Legend grewI kept seeing and hearing the name everywhere on the radio, on the internet promoting shows, on club marquis. Well, curiousity finally got the best of me, and I decided that I had to check this guy out.I remember the first show I saw him was at BB Wolfs out in Stafford, Johnny was headlining that night, so true to his image, he showed up right before it was time for him to go on stage. It was kind of weird cuz the crowd noise came down some, there was a murmur through out the club saying hey, thats JohnnyJohnnys hereEl Brujo is in the house.I turned around to see, and there he was.dressed in black jeans, black shirt, a bad ass black leather jacket, jet black hair combed straight back tied in a pony tail, you could see the glistening of the earings in his ears, the gold rings that he wore on his fingers.I thought to myselfThat dude there is a star in the making and I have yet to have anyone disprove that . Johnny and the T.C.G. tore it up that night with their own brand of outlaw conjunto, and in me they had a fan for life.A T.C.G. Soldier for life!! right, Fabian, Lobo, Jammin Jake? After that show, I was hooked, If El Brujo was playing somewhere, we were there.Finally, I decided to introduce myself to the man, and what came across was a person that was in tune with life, that loved his family, loved his friends, and loved conjunto music.Johnny lived his life like many of us only wish we could, with a reckless but yet calculated abandon, I will forever admire him for that. There are so many thoughts and memories that I could share, but that would only keep everyone from listening to the awesome tribute that Carr has prepared ..so in parting.I just want to convey one more time from everyone in the conjunto community our deepest condolences to the Cruz family. Rest assured that Johnny will forever live in our hearts, in our IPODs and in our prayers..
Jesse, the story of how Brujo got his name is true. I partied with both DJ MarkyMarc and John one night at Marc's house and they told me the story. WOW...now they both are gone..I'm still in shock...I am dreading laying John to rest on Thursday..it's gonna be HARD!!!
Here is another story I want to share with you!!
"Conjunto's Most Hated" is actually a moniker that I personally gave to John. Most people dont understand what it means so I just want to clarify. The name came about after a show John did. It's something that I had seen happen numerous times. John had released his first cd and had a loyal following here in the Houston area. So when John had a show, you could be sure his fans were front and center. Anyways, during a show the sound man for another band for some reason could not get the sound right. John was upset, but as I mentioned, this was a common occurence so John played through it. After the set I was hanging with John and the band, whose sound john was using began to play and magically, the sound was fixed. A coincidence, I think NOT. So I tell John, man why do all these bands hate on you. He's like man I dont know but I'm used to it. To which I replied, man you're like "Conjunto's Most Hated". Meaning hated by other bands not fans!! He said, "dude I love it". When it came time to record his second cd we were hanging in the studio and he tells me he's gonna title his cd "Conjunto's Most Hated". As you can imagine I was estatic!! I said "bro that would be badass"!! So that's the story behind "Conjunto's Most Hated"!!
Great story bro, thanks for sharing. Johnny will be greatly missed, but he will live on through his music and videos forever. I for one always jam his cds. Talk about some badass music, Johnny's was it!
I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny at Fan Fair a few yrs ago and I was hooked!My girl always says when we get married we are getting Jay and I always reply cool but I'm getting Johnny the night before.Yes I was floored when I heard this news but Brujo I will jam you forever.To the Family of Johnny I give you my heart.I will always be a T.C.G. Soldier for life!
Great job on the tribute guys. There's no other way that I would love to be remembered other than the people who looked up to me most. He will always be remembered alongside all the rest of the greatest musicians now in Gods hands. May he rest in peace, my condolences to the families, and also my thoughts and prayers are with you all as well.
BEING FROM CALI I NEVER GOT THE CHANCE TO SEE HIM IN PERSON. THOUGH I DID GET TO TALK TO THIS MAN ON THE PHONE... MADE MY DAY EVERYDAY WE WOULD TALK. THANKS JOHNNY. FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT OF YOUR DAY TO TALK TO A 23YR OLD KID FROM CALI. YOU WERE MY INFLUENCE. AND THANKS FOR OK'ING THE TAT BRO..... YOUR STILL THE BADDEST.