Conjunto music fans may be disappointed to hear that one of the legends of the genre, Jaime DeAnda, will not be performing at the Fiesta Navidad Conjunto Style concert in Alice, Texas. The event, which is scheduled for Saturday, December 2, 2023, features a stellar lineup of artists, including Los Garcia Bros, Los Texmaniacs, JR Gomez, Gabriel Zavala, and Rene Joslin Y Los Favoritos. However, due to a personal conflict between DeAnda and Joslin, the former was dropped from the show by the promoter.
The feud came to light when DeAnda posted an edited version of the concert poster on his social media accounts, with the word “cancelled” written over his photo. He wrote: “I have been canceled because of a certain person from Alice, TX that wants to keep me out. I really wanted to give my fans a great show. So sorry I won’t be there for this event.”
The person he was referring to is Rene Joslin, who was a member Los Chamacos, the iconic group that DeAnda co-founded over four decades ago. DeAnda split from the group in December 2018, after a series of disagreements and lawsuits over the rights to the name and music. Since then, DeAnda and Joslin have been involved in a bitter rivalry that has divided the Conjunto community.
The promoter of the event, Jim Luna, who is also a Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame inductee, was unaware of the current bad blood between the two artists when he booked them for the show. He had to make a tough decision and remove DeAnda from the lineup to avoid any trouble. He said: “I didn’t realize that Jaime was having a feud or vice versa with these people. I’m not naming names because I don’t want to get involved in any of that. I had to do the right thing. I hired that group first and they did not know that I was going to put him to be there but I’m not going to have people feuding at one of my events.”
Luna also sent a cease-and-desist letter to DeAnda through his lawyer, Alberto Ruiz, asking him to take down the edited poster because it was “interfering with the business activities” of Luna and his Quartermoon Productions. The letter warned DeAnda of possible legal action if he did not comply.
The fans of both artists have expressed their disappointment and frustration over the situation on social media, with others urging for peace and reconciliation. The Fiesta Navidad Conjunto Style concert is scheduled as planned and expected to draw a large crowd of Conjunto enthusiasts from across Texas and beyond. It remains to be seen how the absence of DeAnda will affect the mood and atmosphere of the show.
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