Former Calexico resident’s voice has colorful tone
One of the things want to get across to kids is that you can do it. Artistry can come from here and it does.” Dan Navarro, former Calexico resident
CALEXICO — Despite a storied music, television and film career spanning three decades, former Calexico resident Dan Navarro admits his is not a voice or a face most people would recognize.
Yet, achieving widespread celebrity status has never been as much a priority for Navarro as giving back to one’s community, a principle he credits his humble upbringing in Calexico imparted him with.
“I’m proud of my work and I know I’m good at it,” the 64-year-old Los Angeles resident said. “But that doesn’t make me any more special than a nurse, or a cop, or a teacher, or somebody who does something for their community.”
This week, Navarro’s musical talents and longstanding philosophy will appear center stage during a scheduled musical performance at the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center and a presentation at a Calexico High School assembly.
“One of the things I want to get across to kids is that you can do it,” Navarro said. “Artistry can come from here and it does.”
A self-taught guitar player, Navarro is probably best known for his 22-year stint with Eric Lowen in the acoustic duo Lowen & Navarro, which produced 12 albums from 1990 to 2009 and who together wrote the song “We Belong,” made popular by Pat Benatar.
Although Navarro had always enjoyed writing and singing songs, his venture into the music industry came as something of a surprise and partly at the urging of others, as did his subsequent forays doing voiceovers for radio, TV and film.
As much as talent is given credit for one’s success, Navarro contends that hard work, perseverance and luck can often play a much more decisive role.
His own brand of success came about both incrementally and organically, a result of never turning down opportunities to try something new, whether it be audition for his university’s glee club as a college student, or lend his voice to Spanish-language radio advertisements.
“I don’t feel like a success,” Navarro said. “I feel like a working journeyman.”
To date, Navarro has performed more than 1,500 shows with his former duet partner, and written songs for The Bangles, Jackson Browne, Dave Edmunds, The Temptations, Dionne Warwick, Dutch superstar Marco Borsato, The Triplets, and Austin, Texas legend Rusty Weir.
More recently, Navarro has busied himself with voiceover acting work for television’s “American Dad” and “Family Guy,” as well as singing in the feature films “The Book of Life,” “Happy Feet” and the “Ice Age” movies, to name just a few.
His voice also appears in the trailer for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” opposite star Javier Bardem.
“I’d be the first one to admit that I’ve been lucky,” Navarro said. “I still am waiting for all of it to disappear.”
Navarro said that he had realized early on that he would likely have to leave the Valley after graduating Calexico High School in 1969 to pursue his dream, but that his confidence was helped along with the encouragement of a few local teachers during his formative years.
His time in the entertainment industry has also led Navarro to testify in Washington, D.C., about intellectual property and copyright rights, as well as being elected to a seat on the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists board.
Navarro said he too hopes he can impart local students with the realization that “the only limitation is your heart, your soul, your talent and your willingness to work hard.”
“Persistence is the key to everything,” Navarro said. “I teach that every day.”
Navarro will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center. Donations for tickets are $10 and $20, with all proceeds going to the arts center. Doors open at 6 p.m.