Rudy Madrid Lives on in San Jose Memories
By Gil Villagrán
When Rudy Madrid was laid to rest at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery on February 1st, it was his second death after his first on the day he stopped breathing eight days earlier.  Citing a Mexican dicho, Father Jose Rubio sermonized to the standing room only audience at Sacred Heart Church, "We all die three deaths: 1st, when we stop breathing, 2nd, when we are buried, and finally-when no one is left to remember us."  If there is truth to the proverb, then Rudy Medina lives on in the memories of those who love him.  There were well over one thousand who attended a tribute concert with a dozen bands on Saturday, 500 who attended a Rosary on Sunday, about a thousand participated in Mass on Monday, after which he was laid to rest, and then at an enchilada and chile verde reception with hundreds sharing tableside stories--some sad but mostly funny and joyous, about this San Jose original troubadour of the Chicano Movement.  Here are some of those memories:
Rudy, the middle child of a family of eight siblings was born in Fowler, a farming community near Fresno, and grew up in East San Jose when the family migrated in 1960.  Rudy attended Goss Elementary, then Fisher Middle School and graduated from Overfelt High were he played drums in marching band and jazz orchestra. Community organizer Sofia Mendoza had been advocating for Santa Clara University to enroll Mexican students, and having met the Madrid family, she recognized Rudy as an excellent student who could be the first to break the Catholic University's color and economic barrier.  He qualified for a full four-year scholarship-making him the first and only low income Mexican student in the rich white bastion of Jesuit education on the other side of Santa Clara Valley. 
Rudy's hope was to become an attorney-using the law to remedy the social injustice he witnessed in the era:  poverty, racism, the Vietnam War, police abuse, educational inequities.  However, while music was pulling his heartstrings away from academics, trading books for his guitar that he was mastering; at the same time, he tearfully revealed to his family and friends the racist abuse was directed at him daily on the campus.  Shirley Trevino, the second student recruited to attend the university the following year recalls, "Some white students posted signs stating:  'Spics and dirty Mexicans don't belong here!'  But such abuse caused us to organize (with the gradual increase of Mexican students) to fight back against racist students and the administration (that was blind to the injustices inside and outside the university).  "We finally organized a sit-in/sleep-in inside the Mission Church to demand admission of more Mexican students and relevant classes.  During our three days inside, refusing to leave under threat of arrest, Rudy inspired us with his music-keeping our spirits up until our arrest.
After two years, Rudy left Santa Clara to enroll at San Jose State College, where he studied music, excelling in jazz piano and guitar.  Ramon Martinez recalls, "I met Rudy in 1969 when 1,000--most of us farm and small town kids from the central valley, were enrolled at San Jose after the San Jose Chicano community pounded down the gates.  Rudy's music was the soundtrack to the Chicano Movement and MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) in San Jose.
Sofia Mendoza recalls, "Rudy was an energetic organizer, writing the "El Machete" newsletter, printing leaflets at the original MACSA office, setting up rooms for planning marches and walkouts.  He stayed in the background, not giving speeches, but rather would bring people together, entertaining us with his music."  She relates, "Rudy's music was an integral part of our organizing the community for our rights, the right to our culture, our language; a safe neighborhood without abuse by the police, good schools and college for our youth. Rudy was active in the walkout at Roosevelt Jr. High (the first in the nation), United People Arriba, Community Alert Patrol (against police killings), advocacy for the McKee Health Clinic, and countless anti-war marches and United Farmworker pickets.  And always, Rudy playing his music, enlivening our hearts with corridos, boleros, oldies before they became oldies.
By 1979 Rudy formed his life-long band, Rudy and the Cruisers, performing at such clubs as Antuna's, The Glen, Keyes Club, Patty's Inn, Caravan, Toon's, Willow Glen Inn, Eagles Hall, Bob's Surf n Turf, Starlight Ballroom, Saddle Rack, and at conferences and local hotels.  Perhaps his biggest event was at the first and largest anti-war concert at Golden Gate Park, with an estimated 250,000 attending.  He shared stages, performed or toured with Tower of Power, Trio Los Panchos, Little Joe y La Familia, Tierra, and others. 
Rudy's music was integral to the weekly Misa Floricanto at Sacred Heart Church's Hardeman Hall, and he also played his music for family and friends for weddings, baptisms, quinceñieras, and birthday parties.  He also played for funerals, but would never accept any payment for funerals, insisting that a funeral is no occasion to make money.
Rudy's lifelong commitment to the education of our youth was evidenced annually when he performed for Abrazos and Books, Rigo Chacon's nonprofit organization to raise funds for scholarships and assistance to child victims of poverty, disability or catastrophes.  In gratitude, Rigo stated in his eulogy, "Rudy was an American icon, let us take a moment to celebrate, for there is a new voice in the heavens, with his infectious smile, and tell Cesar Chavez that his noble work continues, tell Mauro Chavez that our kids are going to college."
The love that Rudy gave to so many was returned by his friends, compañeros, carnales, as stated by Karl Soltero, "This inner feeling of love, loyalty and friendship were the ties that bound us to Rudy.  One could not ask for a better friend, a better carnal." 
Last August almost 500 such carnales were brought together by Antonio Chavez, a longtime friend whose home was always open to Rudy, for a Tribute to Rudy Madrid.  "He was so happy to see so many people from his past attending, to say hello, little did we know, we were also saying goodbye to our dear Rudy."  
Rudy's family and friends report that he was always writing songs, trying new arrangements for his favorite corridos of struggle against injustice, oldie love songs, or traditional ballads in English and Spanish.  His 45-year music and recording career include such hits as Cruising Baby, Chula Chula, Caminando, Visalia, and his favorite ballad, "Just One More Time."
A recording by Rudy was played at the end of his Rosary on Sunday night, with his melodic voice repeating the words "just one more time, let me hold you in my arms, just one more time..."  Bittersweet tears moistened many eyes as we walked out into the rain soaked pathways at Oak Hill Cemetery, with Rudy's song in our hearts.  Rudy lives on in our San Jo memories...