Johnny Ballad & The Zodiacs (2) (New Braunfels, Texas)
Personnel:
Rudolph Valentino Cisneros "Johnny Ballad"
Rennie Guenther
Eddie
Richard
Raul
Discography :
1959 - Another Day / My Song (Wildcat 0016)
1959 - Search For Love / I'll Gamble (Wildcat 0017)
Biography :
In 1958, Rudolph Valentino Cisneros, while working as a bus driver in
San Antonio, he discovered his voice was better than ever. There was no
danger of it ever "breaking" again. He found that he had firm control
through an almost limitless range. Sometimes he tested his voice by
singing to the passengers on the buses he,drove. They were delighted and
astonished with his vocal tricks and urged him to go into show
business. Rudolph Valentino borrowed his sister Doris guitar and taught
himself to play it. One warm evening in San Antonio he sat out on a
terrace at his apartment house, practicing. On a patio down below, some
other tenants were having ,a party. Impressed by his vocal gifts, they
invited him to come down and join the fun. Rudolph Valentino Cisneros
entertained them for a couple of hours.
When "the party broke up, some of the guests insisted that be go
night-clubbing with them and take along his guitar. They wound up at the
King of Clubs. Noticing Rudolph's guitar, the club's comic invited him
up to the stage to do a number. Rudolph's vocal tricks and song
stylings were such a sensation that the club owner offered him a job. He
was paid 75$ a week for singing about 15 minutes nightly during the
band's intermissions. After that he obtained work in other clubs,
becoming so popular that he attracted the attention of a new San Antonio
recording company.
The
outfit, Wildcat Records, signed him to a contract and changed his name
to Johnny Ballad. Its owners discovered that Johnny is a composer and
lyricist as well as a performer. He writes fast and has composed about
160 tunes. The company recorded four of his compositions "I'll Gamble,"
"Search for Love," "My Son and "Another Day." Wildcat use The Zodiacs, a
vocal group from high school in New Braunfels Texas composed by Eddie,
Richard, Raul, and Rennie to back up Johnny Ballad. Unfortunately
Wildcat Records made a technical mistake. Its discs were a hair too
thick and wouldn't play properly on jukeboxes. The company quickly went
broke and Johnny's tunes were never distributed.
