Proposal underway to rename street for Little Joe in his hometown

Brian Chandler, director of planning, believes the most appropriate option would be to rename Sixth Street, as it would intersect the proposed MLK Festival Grounds.

“First of all, Sixth would bisect the festival grounds, so it’s certainly very appropriate with all the music that will be hosted in that festival grounds to have that street named after Little Joe,” Chandler said. “Also, there are no buildings along that section that would be affected.”

Mayor Danny Dunn said many Temple residents may not realize the impact Little Joe had in the music industry.

“What a lot of people in Temple don’t know is that Little Joe started orchestral Tejano music and basically did what Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly did for rock and roll,” Dunn said. “He is revered around the state and around the world. The fact that we don’t realize that certainly makes this something we need to do to honor this family and the contributions he’s made in the world of music.”

The street would officially remain Sixth Street, but stacked street signs would recognize Little Joe. Interim City Manager Brynn Myers said the proposal would have a minimal impact on residents.

“I think staff’s proposal balances the desire to honor Little Joe and also the desire to limit the impact on property owners,” Myers said. “Most of the property affected is actually city-owned property. There is a little bit that’s not, but it’s vacant.”

The Temple City Council will vote to adopt the renaming at a later date.

Little Joe Y La Familia recently recorded a live concert album in El Paso and released their latest studio album, San Antonio, in January and it’s available online at LittleJoeYLaFamilia.com.

SOURCE: Temple proposal made to honor Little Joe