John Vela
Mariachi Unlimited
John A. Vela was born and raised in Alice, Texas and attended Texas A & I University (Texas A&M-Kingsville), in Kingsville, Texas. He was introduced to the mariachi in the Spring Semester of 1978 when his percussion professor, Linda Pimentel, suggested that he learn guitarron. “In those days, written music or resources were not available for mariachi”. In September of 1979, Mr. Vela experienced a life-changing event when he heard Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan for the first time. It was then that he decided to dedicate his life to mariachi. In 1981 Mr. Vela received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Mr. Vela has been a music educator for the past 40 years. He retired as a full-time teacher in 2013 after serving as Director of Bands for San Diego I.S.D., in San Diego, Texas where his bands have received numerous first divisions and sweepstakes awards in Marching, Concert, Sight-Reading and Mariachi. Mr. Vela is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Association of Texas Small School Bands, and the Texas Association of Mariachi Educators. Mr. Vela has served as the Director of Operations/Treasurer for T.A.M.E. (Texas Association of Mariachi Educators) from 2013-2016. He is currently the Band Director for Benavides ISD. Mr. Vela has performed professionally for 42 years as a mariachi musician on violin and guitarron. He has accompanied various ranchera singers such as: Pedro Fernandez, Miguel Aceves Mejia, Felipe Arriaga, Sonia Rivas, Imelda Miller, Lydia Mendoza and Janet Rodriguez. He has also presented workshops and been a consultant for various schools throughout Texas. Mr. Vela has also judged mariachi contests across Texas and Las Vegas, Nevada and has been a clinician for numerous school mariachis and All-Region Mariachis throughout the state of Texas. He prides himself with sharing his knowledge and expertise that he has acquired throughout his years of teaching and playing with his students. He has various mariachi arrangements and a beginner guitarron book published by Keiser-Southern Music Co. and has numerous mariachi compositions, arrangements and instructional videos published through his own company, Mariachi Unlimited. He is currently collecting historical mariachi documentation for an upcoming book on mariachi history. In addition to his musical career, Mr. Vela is an avid genealogist, mariachi historian and beginning luthier.