15 years hosting this great show, comunidad del valle. it is your comunidad del valle. probably a 10 or 12-year-old back in greenville, california, watching television and nba on the nbc, lakers against the celtics but there was a show on

channel 11 a 10 and 12-year-old i would flip the show to because they were talking about latino issues, a show called comunidad del valle. it had intrigued me i had never seen a show about late team knows hosts by a latino. i would go back to the nba and i would flip it back to channel 11 'cause i was intrigued. this is when i was doing the farm work. i wanted to be a tractor driver, not a journalist. but here i am. you have been so gracious enough to allow me into your homes every sunday for a half hour. i'm so appreciative. we are celebrating keen sin nair rah. here is a look back at the 15 years. >> we have a surprise for you this morning. >> for 15 years, you have allowed me into your homes every sunday on your comunidad del valle. we have been fortunate to be joined in a decade and a half by grassroots community leaders,

celebrities and world leaders. some have been funny. you know how you can tell latinos apart from each other? >> the way they dance. >> ricardo is going to show us. >> we will close the show with ricardo showing us how mexicans dance salsa. >> they always flap their arms. like little chickens. americans -- >> she shake it. puerto ricans look like they are thinking did i leave the iron on? [ laughter ] >> how about white people, man? how do white people dance? >> white people do the river dance. >> we have about 30 seconds. the website, you guys have a website? >> www.cultureclash.commy, no, dot com. >> a lot changed since i started my career in television, mainly my appearance, but today on my kin sin nair rah hosting this show, i say thank you, thank you

to my hundreds of guests, thank you, the viewer, for allowing me into your homes and thank you to the management at kntv who put up with the man for very little patience for putting the heavy weight of an iconic show on shoulders of this your humble host, for believing in this former farm worker. it is with great honor that i carry out the duties of hosting comunidad del valle. thank you for celebrating my keen sin nair rah with me and here's to another 15 years. i don't know about the mustache. with me today, ladies and gentlemen, i'm so honored, because avenues guest on comunidad del valle when i first began hosting this program that's been on for about 30 or 40 years work don't even know, joe hernandez of little joe. it is such an honor to have you back on the show. >> my pleasure, my honor. congratulations. >> thank you.

>> you have children right? >> yeah. >> you are on because people love and appreciate you, you have a big heart, do great things for the public and for the community and people and we know it and feel it damian. god has blessed you and by doing that he has blessed us all. >> thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> for the great work you do, man. >> i appreciate it. i'm not a tejano, i'm a california kid, but i love tejano music what is about it that tugs at our hearts from chicano land? we are all from chicano land. what is it? >> i think the spirits that go with it. in my case, it is just music, it is entertainment. and i have been real fortunate with what music has done for me. it has taken me around the world a couple of times and yet to meet so many different people, so many different walks of life, many cultures and -- but the one thing that the common

denominator, music. >> willie nelson gets to say i play with little joe. >> yeah, my grandson reminds me. grandpa, grandpa, you remember who willie met me? >> well, joe gonna be on for the entire half hour here on "comunidad del valle." he will be in town, you there go july 29th, club avalon in santa clara v number to call for more information. we will be there. it is going to be a big event. come out and enjoy great tex mex, tejano music, whatever. he will be bac jwik oeth. b ♪ so, this is delicious okay... is this where we're at now, we don't care anymore? we just eat whatever tastes good? excuse me? [ man ] like these sweet honey clusters, they're awesome so no way they're good for you. but i guess that's okay right? actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? ya know? cancel the gym membership. bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic.

are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. but i like having a lot more a lot more than having a lot less. and the more more i have, the more i like having more. and that's exactly what i get at embassy suites. more post-meeting celebrations, more complimentary drinks, more for my money... mmm, more bar snacks... ♪ more olives. definitely. i want so much more it's more more than a mortal man can handle. now that's more like it. [ female announcer ] complimentary drinks. free breakfast. more room. embassy suites. get more. what is it that has kept you going, joe? when i first saw you 15, 20 years ago, you sound like you do now t is your love of the music and your love of the --

>> it is not a secret. no, the love for the people, the audience for me, nothing greater in life than to make people happy, to make people -- to see their emotions and when i perfect. they cry because they are happy. being sad, i guess, it touches our soul and it makes us happy. really, all about the audience, the people, and i love music. and, you know, i have fun with it. i'm not musically trained. i formally -- i didn't go to school for music, but maybe that's kind of what saved me. it's -- what is it called, ignorance bliss. i do what i feel and it's worked for me. >> and at what point did it

become tex mex or tejano music? was it known as chicano music back when you started? >> that is what i have called it all along. >> yes. >> but i really -- the latin labels, the record companies started using different terms for it. but for me, it was always chicano music and that has been 50 years now. >> you use the word "chicano," you have to be able to back it up t is one of those powerful words, hey it is chicano. no. what credentials do you have to say you are a chicano? >> yeah. you are so right. so many cases, you know, we have all been painted, hispanics or latinos, with the same brush, which is, hey, we're all people. but for me, chicano, the way to identify ourselves you get pulled over by the man, you say,

i'm hispanic. could you be from argentina, colombia, peru or you know. when you say i'm chicano, you know you are mexican-american or you should know. so you know, and in that sense, that's an idea, a way of me to identify myself. and then the music itself is what this mexican-american kid continues to work with and develop and it's bilingual, you know, bicultural, a lot of times by myself, if i don't do it right. but you know, it -- chicano is also a state of mind. but identify mexican-american, 'cause we are all latinos, hispanics, you can be puerto rican, cuban, you know, we are all hispanics. >> do you think there's less of us or few of us who are using that word or labeling ourselves as chicano? >> i think back in the '70s, remember this, an identity crisis, you know, the civil

rights and i did a lot of marching behind that because the schools, you know, all the things that happened with schools. and unfortunately, a lot of people think that's derogatory comment. >> my mom didn't like it. my mom didn't want us to use the word chicano. i realized, hey, i am economic can know. >> yeah. i mean, what's wrong with knowing who we are, you know? >> right. >> you can call yourself whatever you want but it is better to know who you are and be it. i think a lot of people really just don't understand the word "chicano" but we should be proud. just like anybody else, we all should you can proud of who we are, where we come from or what we do i just have to be chicano like -- people to know that that's what i am. doesn't make me better, worse or anything, other than that's who i am. >> how many of la familia are you bringing with you to the upcoming concert in santa clara? >> seven-piece group, myself

included, eight people on stage. seven people and me. >> club avalon in santa clara, happening july 29th. there is the number to call for more information. we will be back and play some music.

♪

♪ ♪ [ singing in spanish ] ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ singing in spanish ]

♪ ♪ ♪ [ singing in spanish ] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> one of my favorite songs.

who introduce it had the horns, the brass and the accordion in that? that unique sound. that was you? >> yeah, i will take the responsibility. i will take the blame. yeah, it's quite a -- quite a mixture there. but there was a guy that had done that before me, you know, my musical life, and i grew up listening to artists that had bands similar to what you just saw and heard there. and i just never thought that i would ever want to live this long. had i known, i would have taken better care of my pickup. but really, that was -- i was influenced by their music, they are all great artists. >> and all these new up and

coming young tejano performers, they are not young anymore, but they all credit you, you are the godfather? >> that can be good. i'm honored for that. but i was born at a time and place and an era when music was so different. i grew up listening to the big band, you know, the yard, the crooners, the singers from the '40s, and even the '30s. you know, i was born in 1940, but the '50s and '60s, these great talented, great artists. so all of that, you know, people see the show and think hear me do a sinatra song or a tony bennett song and i have written a couple of things that sound similar to that and they are the biggest compliment they can pay me is when they say, that one

song they say, that guy, like, those are my heroes. but i have studied, jose jimenez, i studied his writing and we can learn if we stop and listen. so, i come from -- from that old school, you know, where some of the younger artists are taken up from, i wish when they ask me, i say go to the basics i. go back and you learn from the people that actually made this music happen. doesn't matter what genre, you know? you talk about big men, you talk about count basie and duke ellington. those were the teachers, those were the -- although now artists are so beyond, but still, the foundation is always to me very,

very important. >> joe actually flew in from austin this morning. he is going to fly back this afternoon. he flew in just for the special taping but he will be back july 29th at club of a lan in santa clara. come out. we will be back with more little joe. stay with us. ♪ okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy.

can i try yours? >> we are back with little joe and little joe la fam milla, "comunidad del valle," my quincinera. you have an affinity for the american veteran. i was never brave enough to sign my name on the dotted line. talk if you will briefly about your honor and respect toward the american veteran. >> well, i think -- my family has been very military, starting with one of my uncles that fought in world war ii and then my oldest brother is in the korean conflict and my second oldest brother did two tours in

vietnam and it goes down the line. all together, my family has served the military over 100 years. that's lot. my niece and nephews and cousins. i have one sister that has four kids that were all military and three boys and a girl and the girl outranked them all. >> wow. >> yeah. >> old man in the military. >> yeah. and i don't know, maybe that comes in the genes. my mom's father was -- who i'm named after. but like you, i never served. and i think back in those days, there was one way to break the cycle of poverty. i read books about so many chicanos that would enlist just to get out of the field.

and in order to serve their country, they wanted to make a contribution. since the iraq war broke, i started oak up the show with "america the beautiful" and i said i will do today, and i will do this until the war was over. but unfortunately, there will always be wars. i just continued it. and we need to pay respect. we owe the veterans all -- the military, period, and their families, but we need to acknowledge the veterans because there's no way to pay them what they've -- what we owe them, you know? and unfortunately, as rich as a country as we are, we are not living up to our promises to them, so any time that anybody out there can do anything for the now -- the military -- the people in the military now and the veterans, an open hand is always welcome because they should not be on stamps, food

stamps. it's -- but that's another story. >> that's another entire half hour. real briefly, if you will, you are working on a new project now? >> well, several. >> okay. >> there's a movie. >> something to look forward to in the near future? >> yeah. yeah. and the movie is a comic -- it is my third -- fourth movie. i'm not an actor and i keep saying that, but i have three movies to prove that i'm not an actor, but it is not "the d.da vinci code," whoever can decipher the code controls the barrio and you can control the barrio by controlling all the tequila that flows into the barrio. so low budget, i don't have a name, i just call it the old man and i have a young girlfriend whom i loan money to, the producer/director/writer of the movie, but in turn, what hes to

make my girlfriend a star around in the end, it all comes back to me. >> i can't wait. i can't wait. tell the folks at home what they can expect when they come to club avalon on july 29th? >> you know, you can have a great time. it's up to you. the music and the entertainment, i promise i will bring the best. i always do my very best. i don't know what kind of seating you will get, you will get a great show, get a fun show. just come prepared. >> you were here 15 years ago, honored that you flew all the way in from austin. >> i had to come congratulate you. and i hope 15 years, you will still be here doing what you do best. >> thank you. >> and we -- i thank you on behalf of all the people that don't get a chance to say hello to you and shake your hand and say gracias. >> thank you. he will be here july 29th at club avalon in santa clara.

we thank you, again, for allowing me and joe and everybody else into your homes on this special sunday. thank you for celebrating my quincinera with me. i leave you now with more little joe and la fam milla. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ singing in spanish ]

♪ ♪ ♪ [ singing in spanish ]

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ singing in spanish ] [ male announcer ] for some reason

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