Jeremy Marre's 'Tex-Mex: Music of the Texas Mexican Borderlands' (1982)

Jeremy Marre's Tex-Mex: Music of the Texas Mexican Borderlands (1982), as in the other Beats of the Heart documentaries, gives us glimpses into the historical and socio-economic context of music in time and place, with plenty of riveting sights and sounds. In this case, mostly Mexican-themed music, with tinges of various influences as wide-ranging as German immigrant polka and the blues.   

Tex-Mex: Music of the Texas Mexican Borderlands includes footage dating back to the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and through the 1970s. Lydia Mendoza (1916-2007) is one of several standouts. In the USA, you may have seen a postal stamp commemorating her life and work. 

In Tex-Mex: Music of the Texas Mexican Borderlands, Little Joe (aka José Hernández, b. 1940) is another standout. 

Tex-Mex: Music of the Texas Mexican Borderlands is well-worth checking out for its music, history and cultural backdrop. It's not sugarcoated -- there are scenes of pulling cow and bull tails, bullfighting, tales of border violence, economic struggle, language battles and gender differences -- set to music. All absorbing details.

Today's Rune: The Self.