Freddy Fender (1937 2006) straddled the lines between American pop, rock and roll, country and Tejano music. Born Baldemar Huerta, Fender rejected common tejana and conjunto styles in favor of popular American music. This collection is composed of some of his early recordings from 1959 to 1964 on the Ideal label. Defining what <i>tejano</i> rock sounds like, <i>Canciones de mi Barrio</i>, set the precedent for the potential success of alternative Mexican/American music. The liner notes are drawn from a conversation with Fender in 1992 about many of the recordings in this collection.