The Royal Jesters

Formed during 1958 in San Antonio, Texas, the Royal Jesters entered the scene as a Chicano soul ensemble. Louis Escalante, Henry Hernandez, Oscar Lawson, and Mike Pedraza constituted the original membership, having first crossed paths at Sidney Lanier High School on the west side of their hometown. Over ensuing decades the roster experienced repeated turnover, incorporating Dimas Garza, known also as Dimas III, along with Joe Jama, yet Hernandez alone endured among the founders. Drawing from Mexican heritage, doo wop, and later early Motown, the group embedded itself in San Antonio’s cultural life through steady live appearances and studio work. Their first 45, “My Angel of Love,” appeared in 1959, succeeded by further singles on Cobra, Jox, and the band’s own Jester imprint before the arrival of the debut LP We Go Together in 1965. Though firmly established as local favorites, the Royal Jesters continued to shift direction, moving from largely English-language songs to exclusively Spanish material while adopting Tejano through an amalgam of soul, rock, polka, and Mexican folk traditions. More singles surfaced, joined by the albums Yo Soy Chicano in 1971 and Their Second Album in 1975. Activity dwindled after the later 1970s. Subsequent releases comprised Tribute in 1996 and Odyssey: The Journey in 2005. The Numero label later compiled the group’s English-language output from before the Tejano period on the anthology English Oldies in 2015.