Juan de la Cruz Band
The Juan de la Cruz Band was a Filipino rock group formed in 1970, that pioneered what became known as Pinoy rock.
The Juan de la Cruz Band formed in early 1970. Founding band members Mike Hanopol and Wally Gonzalez credited fellow founding member, drummer Edmond Fortuno, with having introduced the band's name. In December 1970, the band was lauded for headlining the first open field rock festival in the Philippines. In 1972, they released their first album as a quintet, and thereafter gained momentum when it was performed in a rock opera with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the first production of its kind in the country. Juan de la Cruz reinvented itself in 1973 as a power trio and rose to stardom as the premier rock band in the Philippines.
History
''Up in Arms''
The original Juan de la Cruz Band, consisting of Mike Hanopol, Edmond Fortuno, Bó Razon, Bing Labrador and Alex Cruz, was formed in 1970. In 1971 Wally Gonzalez joined replacing Bó Razon. Some time later Sandy Tagarro joined replacing Mike Hanopol. In December 1970, they performed in the Antipolo Rock Festival. They were subsequently tapped in September 1971 as the featured rock band in tandem with the Manila Symphony Orchestra for the Philippine production of the rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Consequent to his dramatic part as the Judas character in the rock opera production, Sandy Tagarro vacated his bass guitar instrumentalist role in the group and was replaced by Clifford Ho.Upon the conclusion of the Jesus Christ Superstar production, Edmond Fortuno, Bing Labrador and Alex Cruz formed a splinter group, Anak Bayan in late 1971 which, together with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, performed for another major production run at the Cultural Center, the rock opera, Tommy by the Who. Anak Bayan would later release their self-titled album in 1977, and in 1978, they released the single "Pagbabalik ng Kuwago" with the new lineup aside from Bosyo: Jun Lopito and Gary Perez on guitars, and Gil Lemque on bass.
The versatile Sandy Tagarro returned to the Juan de la Cruz Band, occupying the drummer's seat as Edmond Fortuno's replacement, and also as the band's lead vocalist; while Clifford Ho continued on bass. Rene Sogueco was also recruited to replace Bing Labrador. A musician from the Manila Symphony Orchestra, Romy Santos, replaced Alex Cruz.
In the wake of this major revamp, the Juan de la Cruz Band recorded its first album in 1972, entitled Up in Arms, which was released by Vicor Music Corporation under its Sunshine Records imprint in July 1972. However, complications in the band caused Sandy Tagarro to leave abruptly barely after concluding the Up in Arms recording sessions; not even to pose for the album's photography. Consequently, the group picture for the LP's album cover showed a different drummer, with Sandy Tagarro's name stricken off the personnel credits, with exception of a parenthetical credit of him as composer of one song. Bobot Guerrero's entry as the new drummer of Juan de la Cruz continued through the promotional run of the album and into concerts and club stints.
The Up in Arms album was not a commercial success and had not been reissued, by Vicor Music Corporation to date. An unauthorized compact disc translation of the LP by Shadoks/Normal Music with spurious bonus tracks from a later edition of the band—is sold in online Internet shops. Wally Gonzales is showcased as a rock guitarist with progressive leanings in this early effort. In several months, bassist Clifford Ho, and keyboardist Rene Sogueco had also left.
It was during this transition phase that Mike Hanopol and Joey Smith had recently returned to the Philippines in September 1972 from a successful sojourn in Japan. In early 1973, Mike Hanopol rejoined the group and Joey “Pepe” Smith also joined the Juan de la Cruz Band for the first time.
Joey Smith had also accepted a cameo singing role at the Cultural Center's "Little Theater" for an abortive rock musical based on Erich Segal's novel then in vogue, Love Story, in which the Juan de la Cruz Band was once again called upon to perform.
This was also the period when the members of Juan de la Cruz Band and Anak Bayan were freely associating and performing collectively as a "supergroup" ensemble in various concerts. Nides Aranzamendez notable rock drummer also jammed with the group and performed on the classic first live album, "Super Session".
''Himig Natin''
The state of Juan de la Cruz's flux and gradual dissolution led Wally Gonzalez to reconvene an all-new powerhouse trio, together with Joey Smith as singer-drummer-composer; and with singer-bassist-composer Mike Hanopol. Smith and Hanopol collaborated in Tokyo with Japanese guitarist Shinki Chen in a heavy psychedelic blues "free-rock" trio setup called Speed, Glue & Shinki, which had released two seminal albums for Atlantic Records Japan. Rock music historian Julian Cope narrates in his book, Japrocksampler, that Shinki Chen had recruited Joey “Pepe” Smith on drums / lead vocal from a Filipino rock group called Zero History, which he found performing at Astro shopping mall in Yokohama, Japan. And thus the vibe of Speed, Glue & Shinki is noteworthy in the earliest contributions of Smith and Hanopol for the Juan de la Cruz collaboration, especially in the stop-start heaviness of "Take You Home", and the talking blues of "Blues Train".The ensuing album by the iconic trio of Gonzalez, Smith & Hanopol, unfurling its masterly title track, "Himig Natin", went on to become the anthem of Manila's post-hippie culture and underground radio network, particularly the DZRJ-AM radio show, Pinoy Rock 'n' Rhythm—later on shortened to "Pinoy rock". The song is widely known as the first example of Pinoy rock. Himig Natin rallied Pinoy rock, which swelled into a movement and provided indicators of its yet-unrealized commercial fuel. The social impact and innovations of the Juan de la Cruz Band inadvertently became the catalyst for the inception of Original Pilipino Music and the viability for diverse, originally-authored musical genres to emerge and thrive in the Philippines.
Deaths
Longtime band drummer / guitarist / lead vocalist Joey "Pepe" Smith died on January 28, 2019, at the age of 71. Founding lead guitarist Wally Gonzales died on July 23, 2021, also aged 71.Band members
Former
- Sandy Tagarro
- Edmund Fortuno
- Bing Labrador
- Alex Cruz
- Clifford Ho
- Bobot Guerrero
- Larry Martinez
- Tony Rodriguez
- Pepe Smith
- Wally Gonzalez
- Mike Hanopol
Discography
Studio albums
- 1972: Up in Arms
- 1973: Himig Natin
- 1974: Maskara
- 1981: ''Kahit Anong Mangyari''
Live / compilation albums
- 1975: Super Session
- 1977: ''The Super Hits of the Juan Dela Cruz Band / Live and in Concert''
Compilations
- 1980: The Best of Juan Dela Cruz Band
- 1983: The Best of Pinoy Rock
- 1985: The Best of Pinoy Rock Vol. 1 & 2
- 1994: Himig Natin
- 2014: ''Tatak: Greatest Hits''