Draft:Gregory Esparza

Gregory Esparza is a singer songwriter known for singing with Cannibal and the Headhunters led by original members Bobby "Rabbit" Jaramillo and Richard "Scar" Lopez from 1998 - 2005. In 2006 he became the lead vocalist for Thee Midniters from 2006 - 2021 and returned for a couple of concerts in 2022. One being the Latin Legends concert at Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California. Joining Thee Midniters was a lifelong dream since he was a teenager in the mid-1980s. For more about this dream come true read "Legendmaking: An Interview with Gregory Esparza on Transcending Language Politics and Racialized Identities in Chicana/o/x Music" by Lani Cupchoy here: [1]. His debut happened in 2006 at The Valentine's Day Super Love Jam concert at the HP Pavilion (SAP Center) to a sold out crowd of over 14,000 in attendance. Other notable shows include The Latin Legends in 2008 at The Greek Theater and a return to The Greek as a guest vocalist with the Tierra in 2011, onstage with both Rudy and Steve Salas. At Latin Legends concerts he performed alongside legends such as The Intruders, The Manhattans, Eddie Holman, Deniece Williams, Malo, Tierra, El Chicano, Gene Chandler (The Duke of Earl), The Floaters, Peaches and Herb, Brenton Wood, The Premiers, The Heartbreakers, Lighter Shade of Brown, and many more. Significantly, Esparza brought back the 1960s vocal spirit to the group, which meant bringing a good balance of their rock 'n' roll uptempo hits to their live shows. Often with a super soulful and ballad heavy catalogue, it was an added boost of energy for the band to dust off some of their old rockers. Even rare mid-tempos ballads came back into the show. Such as "Goin Out of My Head" a song recorded with Al Anaya in the lead vocalist spot in 1969 after Willie G had stepped away. The last time the band ever performed the "Going Out of My Head" was in the early 1970s, until Spaghettini's in Seal Beach on October 7, 2010. See performance [2] It is rare to catch Thee Midniters doing their garage rock 'n' roll, but on two occasions the band performed only their B-side hits that included among others, "Never Knew I Had It So Bad," "I Found a Peanut" and "Jump Jive and Harmonize." This happened once at The Roxy in Hollywood (2014) Here is LSD live at The Roxy [3], on lead guitar featuring Bob Robles when Thee Midniters co-headlined with The Sonics out of Portland, Oregon and a local rock band form Long Beach called The Crystal Antlers. Another time for a Norton Records fundraiser (April 2013) after Hurricane Sandy decimated their warehouse of music in 2012 and once more at The House of Blues in New Orleans, at the 9th annual Ponderosa Stomp in 2010 when they co-headlined with The Trashmen. On occasion psychedelic rousers would sneak into the set, such as when they opened with a medley of "Love Special Delivery" and "Land of 1000 Dances" at The Greek in 2008. Gregory Esparza is still songwriting and performing, and at the same time has joined the ranks of faculty lecturers at Cal State LA, in the Chicana/o Latina/o Studies Department. Next to his debut as a Midniter, it is yet another dream come true. You can also find his original music from the album Just Enough To See The Sun [4] available for streaming and downloads from a wide range of social media music platforms and music apps. Articles and interviews: [5] "Midniter Singer Survives Covid-19: Shares Experience to Help Others" [6] "Legendmaking: An Interview with Gregory Esparza on Transcending Language Politics and Racialized Identities in Chicana/o/x Music" by Lani Cupchoy