Lowrider history finally gets the spotlight
You can love lowrider culture or you can hate it. But one thing you cannot deny is that for the past 40-plus years, it has been part of San Jose’s heritage as much as silicon chips, fruit cocktail and the Winchester Mystery House. That’s why it’s both great and important that the newest exhibition at the San Jose Public Library celebrates both the stunningly tricked-out cars that bounced up and down at Story and King and the largely Mexican-American community that loved them.
“It’s something that’s been overdue,” said Jimmy Hernandez, a DJ with Disco East back when the scene exploded in the 1970s who now owns Time Warp Music. “We don’t often capture the culture here in San Jose.”
Hernandez emceed “Out of the Past: San Jose’s Lowrider History,” a panel that featured Biney Ruiz, whose 5 Star Productions hosted hundreds of lowrider dance and music events in the 1970s and ‘80s; photographer Jesus Flores; Daniel Martinez of New Creation, a lowride bicycle club; Hector Montenegro, a math teacher at Lincoln High in the ‘70s who was also a founding member of the Duke’s Car Club; and Joey Flores, founder of Cisco Kid, a War tribute band, who is also the nephew of Low Rider Magazine founder Sonny Madrid and musician Rudy Madrid.
The panel, held Tuesday night at the downtown library, was standing-room only — with everyone from toddlers to senior citizens in attendance. The crowd was passionate about the subject
and eager to learn more or relive the memories. Two more events are scheduled for the event: “Lowrider Culture and Society,” on Feb. 16 at 3 p.m., and “The Future of Lowriding in S.J.” on March 16 at 3 p.m. Get more information at www.sjpl.org/lowrider.
Michelle Ornat, deputy director of public services at the San Jose Public Library, told the audience that the exhibition had its beginnings when a patron went to the library’s California Room — a vital resource for research on local history — and asked what was available about lowrider culture in San Jose. There was nothing, even though the custommade cars — with hydraulic works, custom paint jobs and car club emblems in the back window — were a huge part of life on the East Side of San Jose in the 1970s and beyond.
“Quickly, we realized it was time to expand our collections,” said Ornat, who added that it took more than a year to assemble the items for the exhibition. “Nearly 100 community members contributed, and we thank you for trusting us, the library, with taking care of your memories.”
The exhibition at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Main Library, which opens last month and runs through March 31, features an array of photographs on the second floor made by Suzanne Lopez, who has spent 28 years documenting the scene for Low Rider Magazine and on her own (as well as lowriding in her own ‘67 Chevy Impala Super Sport). The exhibition continues on the fifth floor, with posters from the Lowrider Balls, artwork, and even toys like the Homies line of figures designed by Richmond artist David Gonzales. News articles on display about efforts to clamp down on cruising in the Story and King area sound quaint in light of today’s sideshows and drag races.
It’s also important to remember that while the East San Jose car culture represents a largely Mexican-American experience, it often crossed ethnic lines. One of the key figures in San Jose’s lowrider history is Andy Douglas, an East Side kid who co-founded the pioneering New Style Car Club. His hydraulic shop on South First Street gave many cars the big hops that drew huge crowds to shows at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds over the years.
“Those car shows were always positive,” said Ruiz, who produced the first lowrider record — recorded live at the Fairgrounds. “Everybody was included. Everybody was accepted.”