Nunie Rubio and the Texas Tornados, Tejano Mix Radio Station, and Mariachis Santa Cruz will bring music to Barrio Fest 2022 on Nelson Street during Hispanic Heritage month, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17. 

Raul "Nunie" Rubio is no stranger to the Tejano music scene.  He is a Fort Stockton native who has never forgotten his proud roots.  Growing up, Nunie’s musical influence were Elvis Presley and Freddy Fender. During middle school and high school, he was in band and later moved over to the choir. During his junior year, he joined his first Tex-Mex band where he traveled and played locally as the band's trumpet player. After graduating from high school, Nunie moved to Dallas. He learned his craft by singing rock n’ roll in Dallas and country music in Fort Worth. After leaving Dallas and singing as lead vocalist with different groups, he was recruited by Barbwire Records an affiliate of Virgin Records.

In 1997 Flaco Jimenez, ambassador of conjunto among American and European audiences, was looking for a lead singer. Jerre Hall, CEO of Barbwire Records, convinced Nunie to audition for Flaco in San Antonio. Nunie joined Flaco in early 1997, and his first gig was at the International conjunto festival in San Antonio. He started touring in Europe alongside Flaco in July 1997. He went on to record over four albums with Flaco. Their first album, "Said and Done," won them a Grammy in 1998, officially launching Nunie’s career. Movie soundtracks and more touring followed.

In the early 2000s, Flaco and Nunie were cast in the Hollywood motion picture "Picking up the Pieces," a star-studded move with Sharon Stone, Woody Allen, Kiefer Sutherland, and others. The movie soundtrack featured Flaco and Nunie scored throughout. In other shared venues, Nunie played with the late Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, and the San Antonio Symphony.

After Freddy Fender passed away, his singing group, The Tornados, were ready to tour for the Reunion Album, and asked Nunie to sing Freddy's songs. The plan was to do it for a year to see if the public would accept the new lineup. It has lasted 11 years. Nunie, along with Flaco Jimenez, Augie Meyers, Ernie Durawa, and Speedy Sparks will be releasing a new album this year.

Prior to Nunie’s performance, the premiere Tejano music radio station in El Paso, Tejano Mix, will be the official DJ for Barrio Fest. They will DJ during the car show competition starting at 10 a.m Saturday. The music will continue all morning and afternoon, right up to Nunie’s taking the stage at 10:30 p.m.

Lopez Broadcasting, the parent company of Tejano-Mix is hardly new to the broadcasting industry. This iconic family began broadcasting in 1989, reaching Austin, Houston, Las Cruces, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio.  Crista Lopez-Gandara is the granddaughter of radio and TV pioneer Humberto Lozano Lopez, and founder of Tejano-Mix Radio. 

 El Paso is known for its authentic culture, food, and music, but was missing a long-awaited Tejano station. Being 546 miles away from the Tejano capital of the world, Crista, along with Lopez broadcasting network, is honored to bring El Paso and the rest of West Texas a home for Tejano music. 

Yet another music style being featured during Barrio Fest is Mariachis Santa Cruz which will play during the reception for the Texas Treasured Business Award on Friday from 6-8 p.m. in front of the Nelson Street Theatre. The group is led by Mayor John Ferguson from Presidio and Ojinaga, Chichuahua. The group has been preforming since 2008, and plays a wide variety of venues that include weddings, quinceanerars, and community celebrations.   

Come join us for Barrio Fest 2022. Nunie is sponsored by Fort Stockton CVB. Tejano-Mix and Mariachis Santa Cruz are sponsored by First National Bank of Fort Stockton.