By Canadian Press

Al Hurricane, ‘Godfather of New Mexico music,’ dies

Oct 23, 2017 | 12:15 AM

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Al Hurricane, known as the “Godfather of New Mexico music” for developing a distinct sound bridging the state’s unique Hispanic traditions with country and rock, died Sunday.

His son, Al Hurricane Jr., told The Associated Press that his father died from complications related to a long battle against prostate cancer. Two of his daughters were at his side.

Hurricane Jr. said his father, who was 81, had already said his goodbyes to his friends, fans and children.

“He didn’t want people crying when it was his time to go,” his son said.

The death of Hurricane Sr. came two years after he went on a farewell tour following an announcement that he had Stage 4 prostate cancer. He kept performing despite receiving chemotherapy.

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Born Alberto Nelson Sanchez on July 10, 1936, in the tiny village of Dixon, New Mexico, he was raised for a time in Ojo Sarco before moving to Arizona and later Albuquerque. He learned to play the guitar thanks to his mother and his father, a miner.

Hurricane began his professional music career by singing in Albuquerque Old Town restaurants before releasing his first songs, “Lobo” and “Racer” under the band Al Hurricane & the Night Rockers in 1962.

He released his first album, “Mi Saxophone,” in 1967. The album contained his signature song “Sentimiento,” a ballad he wrote for his first wife and mother of his four children. Years later, a young Tejano singer named Selena would hear the song and record her own version of it.

In 1969, while on a trip to Colorado, a car carrying Hurricane and five band members skidded on an icy bridge and flipped five times. A piece of glass struck Hurricane, and he lost his right eye. He would wear an eye patch for this rest of his life, and it would become part of his unique look.

Other popular songs he recorded were “South Bend/Burrito” and “Mexican Cat/Pedro’s Girlfriend.” The songs blended traditional New Mexico corridos, Tejano, rock, folk and country. Often, he sang them in both Spanish and English.

He went on to record more than 30 albums and received a number of awards while travelling internationally.

Following a 1980 prison riot in Santa Fe — one of the most violent in U.S. history — Hurricane released the song “(El Corrido De) La Prison De Santa Fe,” a narrative about the conditions that led to the uprising.

He would later say the song did not seek to place blame for the violence but to tell a story of the riot that left 33 dead and 200 hurt.

In his later years, Hurricane would campaign on behalf of former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and current Gov. Susana Martinez, both Republicans.

Hurricane Jr. says funeral arrangements have not been made.

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Follow Russell Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras

Russell Contreras, The Associated Press