Imperial Valley News

Dallas, Texas - by Ramiro Burr - Ruben Ramos, Michael Salgado, Roberto Pulido, Garcia Brothers, and Jay Perez will be among the top Tejano artists participating in the 2008 Dodge Ram Tejano Music National Convention scheduled Aug. 15-17 in Dallas,Texas.

Presented by producer David Chavez of the Kansas-based communications-programming agency, the convention, which was held in Las Vegas the first four years, offers a lot of activities beyond concert performances, reunion, and special artists pairings. There will also be workshops, awards and an trade show.

Additional participating artists include Megan Leyva, Veronica Sustaita, Candace Vargas, Joe Bravo, Jimmy Edward, Johnny Hernandez, Alfonso Ramos, Sunny Ozuna, Rudy Palacios, Sunny Sauceda, Jaime y Los Chamacos, La Sombra de Tony Guerrero, Fama, Avizo, Jimmy Edward, Shelly Lares, Malo, Hometown Boys, Los Garcia Brothers, David Marez, Joe Posada, Texmaniacs, Rick Trevino, Flaco Jiménez, Chente Barrera y Taconazo, Elida Reyna and Micheal Salgado.

The 5th annual convention will be hosted by actor/comedian Cheech Marin and will be held at the Dallas Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel at Reunion. Officials are expecting more than 7,000 music enthusiasts, fans and music industry representatives at the largest Latin music convention of its kind.

Texas Governor Rick Perry recently proclaimed August as “Tejano Music Month” in Texas.

According to David Chavez, founder/executive producer, the Dodge Ram Tejano Music National Convention serves as a “meeting ground” in advancing the growth of the Tejano (Tex-Mex) music genre as an American art form.

“The vision of the convention is to serve as the collective voice of the music; a unifying force joining both fans and industry leaders while promoting the rich variety, artistic value, cultural and historical significance of Tex-Mex music,” said David Chavez, founder/executive Producer. “The City of Dallas and the State Texas have rolled out the red carpet and have made this Fifth Anniversary Convention a true Texas homecoming.”

Chavez added that other highlights will include the 2008 Tejano Mega Dances held nightly, the AARP Tejano Experience USA Expo and Fanfare, a market place uniting artists with their fan base with more than 100 booths, three stages and artists autograph sessions.

Marvel Comics Iron Man(R) and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Tricia Treviño will make appearances. The Wachovia Mi Casita Tejana will offer information on mortgage products, provide free credit reports and counseling.

The Tex-Mex Special Achievement Awards honor lifetime & pioneering accomplishments, non-performing significant contributions, special achievements in the genre and humanitarian efforts in the community. The Wrangler Tejano Celebrity Fashion Show will bring a “Tejano chic” element to the convention with the latest in classic western-wear styles and accessories modeled by Tejano artists and other dignitaries.

Convention sponsors include Dodge Ram, AARP, Wachovia, Southwest Airlines, Coors Light, Crown Royal, the Recording Academy, BMI, Wrangler, Casino Del Sol, BNET Radio.com, Coca-Cola, Time Warner Cable, Hastings Entertainment, Inc, Gabbanelli, the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Dallas Convention Center.

For tickets and registration visit www.tejanoticket.com or call (913) 397-8850 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Tejano Music National Convention is produced by LatinPointe, Inc., a national Hispanic communications, branding, and programming company, based in Olathe, Kansas. Convention Executive Producer David Chavez currently holds the unique distinction of serving as Executive Producer of two Hispanic-themed primetime TV specials on both English and Spanish language networks with the ABC Network ALMA Awards and the Univision Network Premios Deportes.

Ramiro Burr is a San Antonio-based freelance writer, book author and music consultant.

He can be reached at musicreporter@gmailcom and www.ramiroburr.com