Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything. – Plato
Art -- be it literature, music, dance, visual arts, photography, drama or film -- is an integral and de fining part of an artist’s life. It may begin as a hobby, but very quickly it erupts into an aspect of their lives that defines their way of living as a people and as individuals. Some artists seek success; some, fame; some, both. It is natural to think that having fame translates to being successful, but success lives and breathes all on its own without the aid of fame. That describes PT and Cruisers, who may not have reached the heights of a Jefferson Airplane, a Velvet Underground, or a Big Brother and the Holding Company, but who have achieved a success that can only be attributed to the band’s unity and sheer love of music.
Image caption: PT and the Cruisers (Photo courtesy of Border Legends of El Paso)
PT and the Cruisers, a ‘60s and ‘70s El Paso pop-rock band made up of spirited band members, achieved success while struggling to thrive in underpaying jobs while maintaining a love for music that brought them many cherished memories. The band affected many lives, and it is very proud of its El Paso origin. I had the privilege and honor to engage in a heartwarming conversation with Patty Tiscareño, lead singer of PT and the Cruisers. She spoke fondly of the band, opening up about their early days and their experiences throughout their musical careers. PT and the Cruisers reached greater success than the average local band through a talented lineup, deep connections and that never-ending thirst for music that shaped them and others for good.
PT and the Cruisers consists of five very skilled musicians, unified through an enormous affection for music that transforms each of them into brilliant stars. The band's name is a combination of Patty Tiscareño, PT, and the four Cruisers: Andre Bonaguidi, Garry Hollis, Doug Neal and John “Buddy” Winston. According to the Border Legends El Paso website and in her own words, Tiscareño was inspired by Linda Ronstadt to pick up her voice as an instrument. Other influences include Simon & Garfunkle and the venerable Joan Baez.
Inspired by Bobby Fuller, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, Bonaguidi has played drums for 50 years and keeps on going, with extensive studio and stage experience. Neal, the band's bass player, has been performing, recording and writing music since the 1960s. Winston, owner of Star City Studio Productions, sings and plays a variety of stringed instruments but especially leans toward the guitar. He models his sound on legendary artists like Peter, Paul & Mary, Chet Atkins, Doc Watson, and, as he says, "Anyone else with a lick to steal." Hollis sings and plays guitar in the group, influenced by the Beatles, Cream, The Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton. The chemistry exhibited by the five together, though, makes for the kind of music you want to ramp up in your car stereo during a long road trip.
In a KTEP interview with Marina Monsisvais, Tiscareño revealed that while the styles of each member differ from country, classic rock, blues and more, they have a solid family-like bond, as if fate had predestined their nexus when the first music note was struck millennia ago. Tiscareño shared with me that "we have deep friendships; the Cruisers are my family. When you bake bread with someone and share your homes and share your musical talents, they're your family." The tie they feel for each other is not just something superficial; their friendships stem from years of spending long stretches of time together and uniting as a band, during rehearsals, performances and just chilling to music. They have shared many experiences, from happy moments, ones full of warmth and sunlight, to hardships, trailblazing through cold winters that made them yearn for spring. Their bond is one of the many reasons they succeeded as artists. Their love and commitment for each other and their shared goal in music drove them to push forward and continue. They looked beyond the music itself and toward the solidarity it manifests, and that defines them. Music creates connections that are to be treasured. It heals the wounds of broken hearts, influences people to choose to be good and provides an escape to the rhythmic sounds of a good tune.
PT and the Cruisers did all of that and more for their faithful fans, and even for those who happened to have caught just a teasing of their music. It was easy to see they genuinely enjoyed performing together.
Tiscareño speaks fondly of her origins in music, saying, "I think I probably started in the cradle. When my parents would come in and wake me in the crib, I would be humming or singing." Her whole life has been shaped by music. She remembers how she sang Requiem Masses for the dead at her Catholic school in Latin. Music was embedded into her entire life, whether at home, school or even in love. Tiscareño, with that air of reminiscence, said: “I listen to NPR a lot in the KTEP station, and they play all kinds of Tiny Desk Concerts of people from different parts of the world… and you know what? It's all the same. It's notes. [But] it's just how they [artists] feel them and how they rearrange them, so to me, music is universal. It heals. It's not like language. We don't understand each other's languages; we understand each other's notes.”
She knows music transcends barriers when even language becomes meaningless. When words cannot or are not enough to describe how someone feels, music can say it for them or become a source of comfort. The English language has an enormous number of words and phrases one can choose to utter a statement, but with only 12 notes in music, a song can be arranged and rearranged endlessly to speak the feelings of a heart that begs to be heard.
It would have been easy to remain a casual listener of music, but Tiscareño decided to nurture her gift, much like a seedling is cared for and cultivated into a beautiful flower. Her talent blossomed. It changed her experiences; she learned through it and grew as a person, especially through the struggles of a practicing musician.
"The only two musicians in the band that sustained their livelihoods as musicians were Bonaguidi and Neal," she states. She mentions how they had many experiences working as road musicians, scrambling through obstacles, especially due to a lack of money. She adds, "Musicians, locally paid musicians, are so underpaid… My husband Andre tells me many, many times of how many bologna sandwiches, how many late-night burritos at the Circle K, washing their clothes, hanging them out, putting on their cleanest dirtiest shirt…," starving artists, as it were.
Image caption: Country Cruisin Album 2017
Bonaguidi and Neal have been in financially unstable situations which is often what musicians go through. Tiscareño continues, closing her eyes as if imagining their experiences, to tell me how they have many stories that one could sit down, listen to and feel good about. Bonaguidi and Neal knew what they wanted, and they stuck with it, regardless of expected rough terrain. There are always bumps on the road.
Three of the five members enjoy successful careers outside of music: Tiscareño as an executive director, Hollis as a financial analyst, and Winston as a physicist. Tiscareño is a part of the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation (RGCF). Her bio on the RGCF website states, "Patty Tiscareño is the Executive Director of the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization that has been around since 1996. She has helped the organization raise $13 million in foundation assets, creating major programs, initiatives, and the grant-making operations."
One of her fundraisers includes a CD that she and the Cruisers made to sell for the non-profit organization. It was called The Kitchen Project because it was born around the kitchen table. The 2009 El Paso Times article “Doug Pullen: 'PT' Records Fundraising Effort CD” explained: "Money was raised to help cover costs by ‘selling’ songs for $1,000 to people who wanted to honor victims or survivors in their lives.” In our talk, Tiscareño says, almost in disbelief herself, "After we sold everything, we netted the foundation over $40,000."
This was not her first fundraiser. She had previously recorded another CD, Comes in All Colors, with Billy Townes, and made over $30,000 for the organization. Not only was each CD a generous act of the musicians, they also were able to sell their music.
PT and the Cruisers take tremendous pride in their work and their community, and it is humanitarian acts like these that add to their success. They are proud to be from and live in El Paso. They know its worth. Speaking from life experience Tiscareño reflects: “There is this perception that you are not good if you have not gone to New York or Los Angeles, but guess what? New York has bad and mediocre musicians, too. We're a small town with a big attitude… We have more stellar musicians in this town than anyplace else in the world. … when I say I'm from El Paso [when playing my music somewhere else], people recognize some of the folks on the map. I am very proud of my El Paso roots."
Her comments are accompanied by a beaming, honest smile that speaks more than words ever could. Tiscareño gladly shares the spotlight with other local musicians. She speaks very fondly of the town and is amazed by its musicality. She places her hand over her heart as if her pride would overflow, causing it to burst, "I am proud to be from here. I am proud of the musicians I associate with and play with. I go to lots of concerts, and I watch performers. I see guitar players and drummers, and I am blown away by the elevated caliber of the musicians of El Paso. We rock!" El Paso, indeed, is home to many talented and extraordinary musicians, which are incomparable, just like PT and the Cruisers.
Artists value their calling, their work; their lives are molded differently because of it. They see the world from a diverse and, perhaps, a better perspective because of their desire to create art. For PT and the Cruisers, it was music. Although there were hard times, they learned to appreciate music even more as a result. More importantly, they lovingly have given back to the community. Their love for music has not only touched their lives but, hopefully, those of their fans. That is one of the many magical things about music, one of the many aspects that made PT and the Cruisers an unforgettable band.
