Little Joe Hernandez has spent the past several months reflecting on his 60-plus years in the music business.
The introspection has brought the 85-year-old Tejano star to the realization that it was time to establish his legacy. To do that, he created the Little Joe & Cris Hernandez Legacy Scholarship Foundation, which strives to foster young talent and support education in various fields.
“We have some incredible talent here, some incredible minds that we need to support. We all know that education is important, and I want to do what I can to help kids stay in school and get an education,” said Hernandez, who will be 86 in October.
Though widely considered a Tejano music legend, the Grammy winner’s music catalog spans a blend of genres and has been called Chicano soul, Tex-Mex and “the brown sound.” It’s often mixed with norteño, big band and R&B sounds. He’s recorded music in Spanish, English and a bilingual mix.
Hernandez has called his music “multicultural.”
Born José María De León Hernández in Temple, the singer grew up there in a large musical family. His father was a troubadour, and his mother played the piano. Many of his family members played various musical instruments and taught each other how to play.
“I wanted to be a jazz musician,” Hernandez said of his early aspirations.
He started performing as a teen in his cousin’s band, the Latinaires, and he soon adopted the nickname Little Joe. He eventually headed the band, which was renamed Little Joe and the Latinaires.
Those early experiences have continued to influence him.
In 2018, Little Joe y la Familia headline the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, performing music he calls “multicultural.” | File photo
Hernandez said dropping out of school in the seventh grade and laboring in Texas cotton fields as a child made him appreciate the encouragement he received early in his music career. It also has helped him better understand the importance of supporting others, especially the next generation as they pursue their education and dreams.
Hernandez established his foundation in memory of his wife, Cris Hernandez, who died in October 2024. The two were married for 62 years.
She was instrumental in his career, working as a costumer and seamstress for his shows during the early years and later serving as president of his record label, Leona Records.
Even before the foundation officially launched in early August, it supported young musicians with the community showcase Tejanitos Got Talent Competition in July and through monetary gifts to local causes for students.
Tejano star Shelly Lares said Hernandez was showing his support for upcoming talent long before he created a foundation.
Lares met Hernandez when she was a 10-year-old performer new on the local music scene. The San Antonio native recalled him calling her over to his table after one of her early gigs.
He complimented her performance and told her that she had “something special.” His words were “a seal of approval” for a young Lares, now an award-winning artist whose career spans more than 40 years.
“He’s definitely been a father figure in my life,” she said. “I don’t know anyone (in Tejano music) who doesn’t like Joe and hasn’t been helped by him in some way.”
Lares was among the performers who took the stage for the Aug. 1 launch event that served as the first big fundraiser for the foundation.
The inaugural Legacy Show at Woodlawn Comedy (formerly known as Woodlawn Theatre) was billed as a “historic night” because of the well-known performers and dignitaries who participated.
“What is so beautiful is the way people have come out to support the foundation and the show. You can feel the excitement, the eagerness to support young talent. I mean, that’s what it’s all about,” Hernandez said in the days leading up to the show.
In addition to Lares, other performers included Tejano stars Oscar De La Rosa, Elsa Garcia, Ram Herrera, Roberto Pulido and Patsy Torres. Former San Antonio Mayors Henry Cisneros and Ron Nirenberg, along with current San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones also attended.
“The love that people have for him has been incredible to hear. I’ve heard so many stories of how he’s helped people, of his thoughtfulness and willingness to help,” said Lupita Gutierrez, head of development for the Legacy Scholarship Foundation and the organizer of the Legacy Show.
Some of those who participated in the show rearranged their schedules to attend, Gutierrez said. “That just shows how much they revere him,” she said.
Little Joe is beloved for more than his music. “I’ve heard so many stories of how he’s helped people,” says Lupita Gutierrez, who works with his foundation. | Photo by Salgu Wissmath
Also at the Legacy Show was renowned labor leader Dolores Huerta, who traveled from her home in California to help Hernandez celebrate the launch of his foundation.
Huerta, 96, has known Hernandez since the early 1970s when the two worked together for farmworkers rights in California, Texas and throughout the Southwest. It was during this time that Hernandez experienced a creative awakening.
Hernandez and his bandmates moved to California in the 1960s to explore different sounds. They had been performing across Texas since the late 1950s and signed with various record labels in the 1960s.
Hernandez said he experienced a counterculture in California that encouraged him to embrace his Mexican heritage.
“It got me thinking of not just changing my music but changing the name of Little Joe and the Latinaires to Little Joe y La Familia,” he said. The new name seemed appropriate, Hernandez said, because his brothers often joined him on stage and in the studio.
Hernandez started fundraising for the farmworkers movement. Feeling inspired, he wanted to “do a song that would reflect what was happening and had happened in our lives.”
He decided to record another version of “Las Nubes,” which he had recorded as a two-minute song a few years earlier. He headed back to Texas to record the new version that he envisioned.
Musician-composer Joe Gallardo worked on the arrangement, which features the strings section of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and trumpeter Tony “Ham” Guerrero assembled the backing musicians.
The result was a nearly five-minute version of “Las Nubes” that blends the sounds of conjunto and Mexican ranchera with orchestra strings and big band horns for a unique Tejano/Chicano sound.
Hernandez recorded “Las Nubes” in 1972 as part of the landmark album “Para La Gente.” The song and album are credited with popularizing a Chicano soul sound that blended traditional Mexican melodies with American rock and R&B soul.
“Las Nubes,” which translates to “the clouds,” tells of hardship and despair, as well as discovering hope and finding comfort in music.
The lyrics of “Las Nubes” mirrored the plight of migrant farmworkers, and it soon became an anthem of the labor movement. The song’s popularity has continued through the years, with it becoming a Tejano standard embraced by younger generations who grew up hearing it.
“It is THE song. It’s going to get played at any family gathering,” Lares said. “It’s one of those bring-people-together kind of songs.”
Hernandez has traditionally performed “Las Nubes” as the finale in his live shows, often joined on stage with performers he’s collaborated with over the years.
The tradition continued at the inaugural Legacy Show, with more than a dozen performers joining in on the Tejano classic.
It seemed an ideal way to conclude a show designed to bring a community together to help the younger generation.
The now-iconic version of “Las Nubes” is widely considered a cultural touchstone in the Mexican American community. For many, the beloved song represents coming together — either to unite for a cause or to join in celebration with loved ones.
“It’s about reality. There are feelings of oppression, but there’s always hope,” Hernandez said. “It encompasses everything that life’s about.”