Joe King Carrasco, who is known as the king of Tex-Mex rock 'n' roll, mixes Nuevo Wavo rock and Latin rhythms. Carrasco was born on December 6, 1953, in Moore County, Texas, the son of Tucker and Virginia Stovall Teutsch. In the 7th grade, he started playing in garage bands in the west Texas town of
Dumas, Texas. He was often found on the beaches of Mexico, falling in love with the Mexican music. Back in Texas he formed the band Joe King Carrasco and El Molino, which included many of the future members of the
Texas Tornados. He released "Tex-Mex Rock & Roll", his first LP in 1979. In late 1979, he joined up with Kris Cummings
(née Kristine Anne Cummings; born 1951), Brad Kizer and Mike Navarro to form Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns in
Los Angeles, California, and soon after releasing their first single, "Party Weekend", "the band was playing chic New York venues and generating lines around the block". The band signed to England's
Stiff Records and toured extensively throughout Europe, Central America, Bolivia, US and Canada. Carrasco was interviewed in
Rolling Stone Magazine and appeared on
Saturday Night Live. His song "Party Weekend" was rerecorded by MTV as "Party Christmas". His songs can be heard in several films, including "Caca De Vaca" in the 1983 film
Breathless with
Richard Gere. They were also played on
The Rockford Files and numerous independent films. He has received numerous awards through the years. In 2002, he was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. In March 2012, he was honored by The Texas Music Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Award. At the Austin Music Awards in 2012, he was inducted a second time into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, this time as "Joe King Carrasco and The Crowns." Carrasco regularly plays at Nacho Daddy, a Mex-Tex restaurant and club in Puerto Vallarta, when he is not out on tour. He reunited with the original Crowns, organist/accordionist Kris Cummings, bassist Brad Kizer, and drummer Mike Navarro in June 2011. They toured together for the first time in 30 years during the summer and then went back to the studio to record a new CD. "Que Wow" with "Joe King Carrasco y Los Crowns Originales," was released during their showcase at the 2012 SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. ==History==