Johnny Canales, the Mexican tv host whose program launched new musical acts to large audiences, together with a younger Selena Quintanilla within the Nineteen Eighties, has died. He was in his late 70s.
His demise was introduced on Thursday by his present’s Fb account. No further particulars got. His spouse, Nora Canales, mentioned in a video replace on Might 20 that he had been in poor health.
For a lot of rising acts starting within the Nineteen Eighties, to be invited to carry out on Mr. Canales’s bilingual selection present was thought of a milestone and an opportunity to achieve new followers on a program that was watched by tens of millions.
Some acts that carried out on his present went on to develop into family names. He additionally turned a preferred TV host, recognized for introducing performances together with his catchphrase: “You bought it. Take it away.”
“The Johnny Canales Present” debuted on KRIS in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1983. This system was later picked up by Univision, which additional expanded the present’s attain past South Texas.
Mr. Canales had many teams and singers carry out on his present through the years, together with La Mafia, La Sombra, Los Temerarios and Ramon Ayala. However maybe the one who went on to develop into the preferred was a teenage Selena Quintanilla, as Selena y Los Dinos, in 1985, in what was one of many singer’s first reside TV performances.
“She’s received one thing,” Mr. Canales mentioned an in a 2015 interview with Univision’s long-running morning present “Despierta América” in regards to the first time Selena carried out on his program. “Besides, I scolded her as soon as as a result of she didn’t know the best way to converse Spanish.”
Mr. Canales mentioned within the interview that he was impressed that the younger Selena may sing and dance so effectively, and that each time she returned to his program, her performances improved, and so did her Spanish.
Ms. Quintanilla and her band, los Dinos, started carry out Tejano music, a wealthy mix of conventional Mexican music influenced by pop in america. As she later turned often called the Queen of Tejano music, she additionally started mixing in R&B into her songs.
“Carry on trucking,” Mr. Canales mentioned he advised Ms. Quintanilla as her profession progressed.
Ramón Hernández, a author, photographer, historian and musicologist, advised the Los Angeles Instances in 2020 that Mr. Canales was the “Mexican American equal of Dick Clark as a result of he broke everybody in.”
“You didn’t need to be well-known, you didn’t need to have a prime promoting file,” Mr. Hernández mentioned. “He would simply put you on.”
The visitors of Mr. Canales prolonged past musical acts. He additionally invited comedians, actors and politicians on his program. In July 2015, Mr. Canales invited Donald J. Trump on his present, a couple of month after Mr. Trump had introduced his candidacy for president in a speech wherein he mentioned some Mexican immigrants had been bringing crime.
“We Mexican and Mexican-People are noble,” Mr. Canales wrote in a public invitation to Mr. Trump. “That’s why I’m providing you an invite to return to our present and provides a easy apology, or a minimum of acknowledge all Mexican and Mexican-American Veterans who’ve served and have died for this nation.”
Mr. Canales’s present continued on different networks, together with Telemundo, by 2020, with some breaks amid well being points. Ms. Canales, his spouse, mentioned in 2022 that lately he had been handled for a stroke and in addition wanted a quadruple bypass.
Juan José Canales was born in Normal Treviño, Nuevo León within the early Nineteen Forties. The precise yr is unclear.
When he was lower than 2 months previous, his household moved to Robstown, Texas, about 20 miles west of Corpus Christi, the place he spent a lot of his life.
Rising up, he shined footwear for 10 cents and sang songs in bars for 25 cents, he advised The Laredo Morning Instances. After graduating from Robstown Excessive Faculty, Mr. Canales was drafted and served two and a half years with the third Infantry Division in Germany, till he was honorable discharged.
After serving within the Military, he returned to Texas, the place he labored as a D.J. for a Spanish-language radio station and began a band, “Johnny Canales y su Orchestra.”
Along with his spouse, he’s survived by two daughters.
After taking a number of years off with well being points, Mr. Canales mentioned in 2011 that he would return to his program to assist new acts once more.
“We will come again and actually assist our folks,” he mentioned. “As a result of that is our music.”
Alain Delaquérière contributed analysis.
