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Musica para la Gente
Los Peludos
In 1981, threats to affirmative action admissions programs led to student protests at Universities of California in San Francisco and Berkeley. On a picket line at one such protest, a serendipitous meeting occurred between 3 young musician/activists: law school graduates Enrique and Antonio Ramirez on guitars, and college student Miguel Govea on guitarrón (bass).
Despite having never met, the Ramirez brothers and Govea nevertheless shared the cultural and political influences that compelled them to immediately forge a bond that would continue and deepen for the next 40 years. They played, sang, and composed social justice movimiento music that borrowed deeply from their Chicano/Mexican-American/Latino heritage. They eventually recorded an LP entitled "Los Peludos" (1983) that featured their most popular songs played at countless cultural, institutional, educational, and political solidarity events in their San Francisco Bay Area stomping grounds and internationally. A new recording, entitled "El Regreso" (2024) is dedicated to the memory of Antonio Ramirez, who suddenly and unexpectedly passed away before the project began. The new recording features original compositions by Enrique Ramirez (guitar, vocals) and instrumental participation by Miguel Govea (accordion, trumpet, sax, bass, percussion, vocals), Jarmon Balberan (percussion), Roberto Medina (percussion), Juan Ceballos (clarinet), and Nydia Gonzalez (harp)
Los Peludos
El Regreso
Enrique Ramirez
Singer, songwriter, lead vocalist, guitar
Enrique was born in Tornillo Texas (screw Texas) but like Antnio, was raised in Torreon, Coahuila Mexico. He came to the states at age 14 and had already learned to play Mexican music, cumbias and boleros. The civil rights movement, the Latin American struggles for freedom and justice and the Chicano movement inspired him so that he began writing songs of freedom!
Enrique and his late brother Antonio Ramirez became lawyers serving the Latino community in San Francisco. El Regreso CD is dedicated to the life of Antonio Ramirez and his family. Edna, Marisol and Toño Ramirez-Jaramillo!
Miguel Govea
Singer, songwriter, vocalist,accordia, guitar, guitarron, trumpet
“Miguel Govea grew up in 1960’s Bakersfield, California, during a time of community and political activism. His parents and siblings worked with Cesar Chavez and the precursor to the United Farmworkers movement. He was always encouraged to pursue his musical interests by his family and met Enrique Ramirez and Antonio Ramirez (Los Peludos) on a picket line at UC Berkeley in 1981. They formed an instant musical bond that has lasted for over 4 decades. Miguel continues to be a musical performer and educator in San Francisco and the SF Bay Area”.
Jarmon Balberan
Percussionist, congas, bongo, bell, guiro
Jarmon Balbarran, born in New Orleans and raised in San Francisco Mission District. He has been a drums player ever since his Uncle Carlos let him play the bangos as a kid. He joined Enrique and Antonio back in 1978 when he and Michael Rios overheard these two Chicanos playing cumbias by Precita St. Jamon has played with different salsa groups such as Sinigual but he always supported Los Peludos political message and donated his time and talent in support of people's struggles!
Roberto Medina
Percussionist, coro, bongo, bell, guiro
Roberto has been playing music in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 50 years. He is originally from Gary, Indiana but has lived in the Bay Area for over forty years most of it in San Francisco's Mission District. He presently resides in Oakland, CA where he worked as a registered nurse at Highland Hospital. Recent other musical projects are El Guajiro, Grupo Sinigual, Sofrito, Johnny Boyd Band and running La Familia Son Studio, recording projects of many of the Bay Area local musicians and their bands.
Welcome to Los Peludos Website
El Regreso