Another account of the group's birth says they formed when record company executives looking to cash in on regional music sales approached Sahm and Meyers around 1990, and they brought in longtime friends and collaborators Fender and Jimenez. Sahm had released albums under the name Texas Tornados as early as the 1970s, some featuring Fender or Meyers. Jimenez and Meyers played on Sahm's Atlantic Records debut in 1971.
Individually, this quartet has had major success. Corpus Christi-native Freddy Fender was a cross-over success story around the world with hits like "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights".
Flaco Jimenez has played with acts ranging from the Rolling Stones to Dwight Yoakam. He also is known as the "Father of Conjunto Music" (Flaco plays the Conjunto accordion).
Augie Meyers has shared the stage with the likes of The Allman Brothers Band and Bob Dylan. He's also a member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame. Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers were both members of the 1960s pop-rock band the Sir Douglas Quintet, with hits such as "She's About a Mover" and "Mendocino" to their credit. Sahm, Meyers and Jimenez are from the San Antonio area.
The band's 1990 debut was recorded in both English and Spanish versions. The Texas Tornados were asked to perform all over the world at places like the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton, the Montreaux Jazz Festival, as well as regular appearances at Farm Aid and the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show.
Among their other albums is Live From The Limo, this was the last album to be recorded that featured the complete lineup, as Sahm died in 1999, the year of its release. Fender, who had health problems in later years, died in 2006. Their 2005 Live from Austin album was a recording of a 1990 performance on the TV series Austin City Limits.
People sometimes refer to their lyrics as Spanglish because of the mixture of English and Spanish in the same song, in addition to pronouncing the Spanish lyrics in an American accent, which is evident in their hit, "(Hey Baby) Que Paso". An example is the lyric: "Don't you know I love you / and my corazón is real?", where the word corazón (Spanish for "heart") is improperly pronounced IPA: [ˌkɔɹɑˈsoʊn] with an obvious American accent instead of IPA: [koɾaˈson], the proper Latin format. The band's self-titled debut album was offered in Spanish and English-language versions.
Recently, Shawn Sahm reunited with the remaining Tornados, Augie Meyers and Flaco Jimenez and together with five previously unreleased songs from Freddy Fender and one original from Sir Doug along with some of Augie Meyer's trademark songs recorded for the first time by the Tornados. What emerged was the CD "Esta Bueno" which was produced by Shawn Sahm and released nationally by Ray Benson's Bismeaux Records. Esta Bueno was released in March 2010.
The Tornados are gearing up for a Summer 2010 Tour that includes original Tornado musicians Louie Ortega, Speedy Sparks and Ernie Durawa. Former Tex Maniac and current Raul Malo bandmate Michael Guerra will join them on tour playing the Bajo Sexto.
Mi Morenita
Texas Tornados Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La quiero con todo mi corazón
Me da su cariño, me da mucho amor
Que cuando la miro parecía una flor
Ay mi morenita ven conmigo ya
Vamos a pasiarnos al orilla del mar
Muchos becitos yo te voy a dar
Esos juramentos que hicimos los dos
De siempre unirnos por la ley de Dios
Luego que ya estemos en nuestro jacal
Viviremos juntos hasta el final
(¡Uuuy!)
(¡Ay, mi morenita!)
Esa morenita sabe bien que yo
La quiero con todo mi corazón
Me da su cariño, me da mucho amor
Que cuando la miro parecía una flor
The lyrics to Texas Tornados' "Mi Morenita" speak to the deep love and affection the singer has for a woman they call "morenita," or "little dark one." The singer makes it clear that they love her with all their heart and that she gives them a lot of love and affection in return. When they look at her, she seems as beautiful and delicate as a flower. The singer invites his morenita to join him by the seaside, where they'll share many kisses and no one will be able to stop them. They made promises to each other in front of God, and they plan to fulfill those promises by living together until the end.
Overall, "Mi Morenita" is a romantic song about deep love and affection. The singer sees his morenita as a delicate flower, and he wants nothing more than to be with her and share his life with her. The lyrics speak to a timeless love that is strengthened by the promises they made to each other and their unbreakable bond.
Line by Line Meaning
Esa morenita sabe bien que yo
I am deeply in love with this dark-skinned woman, and she knows it very well.
La quiero con todo mi corazón
I love her with my whole heart and being.
Me da su cariño, me da mucho amor
She gives me her affection and a lot of love.
Que cuando la miro parecía una flor
Whenever I look at her, she looks like a beautiful flower.
Ay mi morenita ven conmigo ya
Oh, my beloved dark-skinned woman, come with me now.
Vamos a pasiarnos al orilla del mar
Let's go spend time together on the seashore.
Muchos becitos yo te voy a dar
I am going to kiss you many times.
Nadie en este mundo nos va hace parar
No one in this world can stop us.
Esos juramentos que hicimos los dos
The promises that we made to each other.
De siempre unirnos por la ley de Dios
To always stay together according to God's law.
Luego que ya estemos en nuestro jacal
After we are settled in our humble home.
Viviremos juntos hasta el final
We will live together until the end.
(¡Uuuy!)
Expressing passion and excitement.
(¡Ay, mi morenita!)
Showing affection to the beloved partner.
Writer(s): Max Baca, Louie Ortega, Flaco Jimenez
Contributed by Kayla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.