Back in 1959 I had the idea of becoming a freelance cartoonist and earning a living by staying home at my drawing board. (After all, it worked for Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz.) Furthermore, I'd read that one could live in Mexico for less than half of what it cost in the states.

So I quit my signpainting job and went to Mexico City. (Click to see some of the cartoons I drew back then.)

So why did I choose Mexico for this venture? Well, for reasons I've never really understood, I've always been enamored of things Spanish and LatinAmerican. In Junior High school I couldn't wait to sign up for Spanish I.

Over time, I became fairly comfortable with the language and felt that I'd be able to handle myself in a Spanish-speaking country.

Well, to make a long story short, I ran out of money before I'd sold enough cartoons to pay the rent - so I had to come back and look for a new job. But that's another story.

In any case, my love of Mexican music became even stronger after having spent a few weeks in Mexico City. Over time, I built up a fairly impressive collection of records by artists such as José Alfredo Jiménez, Javier Solís, Lola Beltrán, Miguel Aceves Mejía, Verónica Castro, and the Trío Los Panchos, to name just a few.

I was also a faithful watcher of Raúl Velasco's Siempre en Domingo, where all the best of Mexican and other LatinAmerican performers could be seen and heard.

More LatinAmerican songs can be found on my Latin Music Page .