Joe King Carrasco Biography
Known as the King of Tex-Mex rock and roll, Joe King Carrasco, has had a storied career that includes concerts around the world and in front of tens of thousands, recording hit songs with legendary artists on over 24 albums, many television appearances… and so much more. Joe creates a stylistic borderland of pop rock and Latin rhythms; his cross-cultural stew blends cumbias, vamp, salsa, surf, reggae, blues… and Latin-tinged polkas. It has been a long road coming from the dusty little west Texas town of Dumas, Texas, where thirteen year-old Joe started playing in garage bands. In his late teens, he was often lured to the beaches in Southern Mexico and drawn to the Mexican music he was hearing. Currently traveling the world spreading peace and love, through music, Joe tours often, sponsors many charitible causes, is always writing new songs and working on his next album.
1970s: Back in Texas he joined up with future members of the Texas Tornados for “ Joe King Carrasco & El Molino”. In 1978 his 1st LP, “Tex-Mex Rock & Roll” was released, somehow made its way to England and was re-released by Big Beat Records.
In 1979, Joe was given The Buddy Award for Best Latin Artist and he formed “Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns”, featuring Vox organ-driven Tex-Mex pop. Their first single, “Party Weekend”, started a label chase and soon the band was playing chic New York venues and generating lines around the block. They became one of the first American groups signed to England's legendary Stiff Records. Joe toured extensively throughout Europe, Central America, Bolivia and Columbia, Canada and the USA.
1980s: Joe’s in-depth interview in Rolling Stone Magazine and on January 24, 1981, Joe King Carrasco & the Crowns performed their music on Saturday Night Live (Season 6, Episode 8). His quintessential party anthem, “Party Weekend” that was already in regular rotation, was re-released by MTV as “Party Christmas”, making Joe King Carrasco a household name to MTV viewers across the globe.
On the Stiff Records, Sons of Stiff Tour, while traveling with a British-born Jamaican band, The Equators, Joe picked up much of his reggae influence. After returning from the successful tour, he recorded the reggae flavored song, "Don't Let a Woman (Make a Fool Out of You)", on his MCA Records album, Synapse Gap (1982), with the great, Michael Jackson, singing harmonies with him.
Joe’s music is used in the TV series, Rockford Files, and in the movie Breathless, with Richard Gere (1983). Joe was given another Buddy Award for Best Latin Artist in 1983. After living and studying in Nicaragua in the mid 1980's, Joe's music was enhanced with more Latin and Central American influence. His songs then dealt with the unjust political situation of that period in the area; resulting in the albums, "Bordertown" (1984), "Bandido Rock" (1987) and "Royal Loyal & Live" (1990). Joe’s song "Pachucco Hop" from “Bandido Rock”, was recorded by the French group Mano Negra, with Manu Chao, on their platinum selling CD, Puta's Fever (1989) and became a worldwide mega hit.
of Stiff Tour, while traveling with a British-born Jamaican band called The Equators, that Joe picked up much of his reggae influence. After returning from a very successful year on the road, he put this experience to work and recorded the reggae flavored song "Don't Let a Woman (Make a Fool Out of You)" on his album Synapse Gap for MCA Records where he had the King of pop, Michael Jackson, singing background harmonies.
1990s: The "Royal Loyal & Live" album (1990) has the only live recording of “Party Weekend”. Joe took a few turns at Nogales and wound up playing at a bar called Pancho y Lefty's in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The Tex-Mex fell into a slow cool cumbia/reggae groove; this combination of Latino and Caribbean, mystically stewed in the shadows of Mayan pyramids and the waves of Lake Titicaca, evolved into a style Joe named "Tequila Reggae", and can be heard on several of his recordings including “Dia de Los Muertos” (1993), “Hot Sun” (1999), and “Hay Te Guacho Cucaracho” (2002). Joe’s music is used for the movie, Tin Cup with Kevin Costner (1996)
Joe’s song, “Tell Me”, was sung by Freddy Fender with The Texas Tornados, on their album ‘4 Aces’ (1996).
2000s: Joe was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2003, and again in 2012 with his band The Crowns. In 2006 Joe moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and played up and down the beaches of Jalisco on the Pacific coast, immersing in Mexican and Cuban musical styles along the way, enhancing his Tex-Mex rock and roll and Spanglish, elements of his music.
Joe has been involved in acting for many years; he stepped into the roles of writer and director with the release of his first film "Rancho No Tengo" (2009). The soundtrack with the same name was released in 2008. In 2009 Joe partnered with amigos to start the “Nacho Daddy” Bar in Puerto Vallarta, playing there 5 nights a week, while driving back and forth to Texas and witnessing many of the conflicts between the cartels and the Federales.
2010s: Because dogs are such an important part of his life, Joe along with his three Jack Russell Terriers who go everywhere he goes, started a nonprofit group in 2011, Viva Perros (www.vivaperros.org) which helps homeless, abused and neglected dogs find a better life. Part of the profits from the “Concierto Para Los Perros” CD and T-shirts are donated to dog rescue groups via Viva Perros.
Joe King Carrasco reunited with the original Crowns in June 2011, and had a reunion tour across Texas, then they went back to the studio and recorded, “Que Wow”, which was released in 2012, during the SXSW Music Festival in Austin.
In March of 2012, The Academy of Texas Music awarded Joe a Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was the closing act at the award ceremony. Joe was voted best lead guitar in Puente Perula, Jalisco, and in March 2013, Joe was given the Entertainer of the Year Award by the Academy of Texas Music, along with a Historical Significance Award.
Joe went back to the studio in late 2012 and recorded two new albums, ‘Tlaquepaque’ and "Rucca", with members of his first band El Molino; Ernie Durawa, Speedy Sparks, Augie Meyers, and many other great Texas musicians, including Marcello Gauna, Aaron Lack, Jimmy Shortell, Jesse Dayton, John X Reed, Gil Herman, Chuggy Hernandez, Joe Morales, and Lisa York.
In 2015, Joe started stretching out his international presence; he toured through Austria, Germany, Belgium, and Italy, and recorded the Tex Mex Blues-a-billy, Texas border rock n roll album, "Chileando".
In 2016 Joe began headlining the Pueblos Blancos Music Festival, in Andalusia, Spain, currently in its 9th year. He also headlined the 4:20 music festival in in Kampot Cambodia twice. He also performed in Peru, India, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and in the Sahara Desert in Morrocco.
2020s: Joe released "Mariachi Blues" (2021) and "Beer Bars and Guitars" (2022), both albums produced by Rick Del Castillo and Luis Murillo, with the late Mark Bowmann as executive director, and featuring Patricia Vonne, band leader, fashion model and sister to filmmaker Robert Rodriguez.
In 2021 and 2022, Joe played on the Sirius Radio "Outlaw Country Cruise", playing with Steve Earl, the Mavericks, and the late Augie Meyers from the Texas Tornados, among other greats.
In 2022 Joe wrote "No Sleep till Crimea", about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and released as a single and video. Also in 2022, Dave Robinson from Stiff Record (Joe’s first label) introduced Joe to the UK band, Hardwicke Circus; Joe teamed up with them and began playing all over the UK and Scotland, culminating in two tours of the Ukraine in 2025, performing at underground Ukrainian venues, schools and hospitals; these were the first international rock and roll tours in Ukraine since the Russian invasion of 2022. In November of 2025, they delivered two donated frontline armored rescue vehicles, that save many lives; during that time , Joe and his wife Nicole were also delivering food and aid to dog shelters throughout the Ukraine, sometimes close to the frontline of the war. Joe has paired with Adrain Simpson, the founder of Mission Aid for Ukraine, and Chris Simpson (Hopefull.org) to continue to raise funds to help war victims in Ukraine.
More to come….