Randy Garibay - Barbacoa Blues

Randy Garibay


A living Texas legend from the tough streets of San Antonio, Randy Garibay is considered by his musical peers as the "Godfather" of San Antonio blues. Known for his crooning as well as his facility to stir melodious sounds from his guitar, Randy creates a rich tapestry of music that is unmistakably his own. Though his repertoire of musical styles includes everything from doo wop to jazz to country to Mexican boleros and salsas , Randy considers himself "a bluesman above everything else." 


Born of immigrant parents and brought up in the barrios of San Antonio and the migrant fields of the mid west, Randy has had an illustrious career spanning over forty years. Randy began as a teenager in San Antonio as lead singer for two teen age doo wop groups, first the Velvets and then the Pharaohs. The Pharaohs performed in Texas and Mexico and sang back up for Sonny Ace and for Doug Sahm in his early recordings. Randy also performed regularly in the premiere San Antonio blues venue of the 50s--the Eastwood Country Club, one of the renowned blues clubs for touring African American performers. 


In the 60s Randy joined a local band, the Dell-Kings, which took him on the road, first to Los Angeles and then for a lengthy stint in Las Vegas, where Randy and the band played as the house band at the Sahara Hotel and worked with legends such as Jackie Wilson, Judy Garland and Sammy Davis, Jr. Renamed Los Blues, the band took an extended road trip from the late 60s through the 70s, during which Randy played alongside rhythm and blues greats, including Curtis Mayfield and the O Jays and performed in such prestigious venues as Madison Square Garden and the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City, Vancouver and Honolulu. 


Now that he is back home in Texas, Randy plays what he knows, using his soulful voice and equally expressive guitar playing with his best band yet, Cats Dont Sleep. "Randy Garibay and Cats Dont Sleep is arguably the finest R&B outfit in the land," writes Jim Beal, Jr., of the San Antonio Express News. "