Johnny Canales is back!

I have been curious for the last few months about what the legendary Johnny Canales had been up to. I usually Google his name to see if I can find out any recent news about him, and today I was thrilled to find this new article about him. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Johnny Canales is back.

With his white cowboy hat, black shirt, pants and boots, and a sequin jacket with the American and Mexican flags on each arm, it was like Canales never left as he took the Selena Auditorium stage Tuesday night at the American Bank Center.

Judging from the fans dancing in the aisles and bouncing in their seats, the Tejano music legend hasn’t lost his magic touch.

Five bypass surgeries and one stroke later, Canales taped his popular live music show once again after a four-year hiatus.

Tuesday’s pilot will be pitched to several Spanish-language television networks, he said.

I was talking to a good friend recently about how much of an impression Canales has left here in "el magico Valle del Rio Grande" and how highly I thought of him as a performer. I think sometimes people don't give him his due or the credit he deserves because they might not be fans of the type of music he represents. Some people may not care for Tejano or Tex-Mex, and they brush off Canales since he happens to be one of the biggest champions of that genre. Another unfortunate thing that happens is that people view Johnny Canales as something their "uncool" parents would watch, and because of that they don't give him a chance. But if you're open minded, you will quickly realize how great he is at what he does. If you've ever seen him host his program, it's quite clear that he's a master of the format. So smooth behind the microphone, code-switching with ease and making an incredibly difficult job look so easy. The way Bob Barker excelled at the game show format on the old Price is Right is the same way Johnny Canales excels at his.

One of the most difficult things to do is to have good shtick. Having good shtick seems so simple but few people are able to pull off some quality shtick. W.C. Fields had some great shtick and he showed that in some of the best comedies of the 1930's. One of the reasons Jerry Lawler had such longevity as a performer in Memphis was because of his shtick. Canales is one of those types of performers, I mean, if he wants to he can charm the pants off of any woman he so desires. So whether he's joking with Selena that her Spanish needs some work or goofing off with Freddy Fender, you're always going to find yourself having a fun time with good ole' Johnny Canales.

One thing that you don't lose over time is charm, and Canales is a great example of that. You got it! Take it away!

Photo Credit: Michael Zamora.
Video Credit: Sarah Acosta.