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.


Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

 
  
 Another Day                                        My Song


I'll Gamble / Search For Love


 
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