Chuck Higgins

by Ron WynnSaxophonist Chuck Higgins earned R&B fame for his composition Pachuko Hop, which remains a perennial favorite among Latino fans, but didnt gain enough general R&B acclaim to chart in the early 50s. Higgins also played trombone and trumpet. He moved from his native Gary to Los Angeles in 1940 as a teen. Higgins played trumpet in his high school band and later attended the Los Angeles Conservatory. While there, Higgins started a band with pianist Frank Dunn and saxophonist Johnny Parker, among others. Higgins later became the bands saxophonist and wrote Pachuko Hop. Its furious pace, roaring sax solo, and raw sound, plus the inclusion of the term Pachuko, which was slang for a Mexican-American dressed in baggy pants with a key chain, made the song a 50s anthem for area Latinos. The B-side, Motorhead Baby, was later the inspiration for Frank Zappa sideman James Motorhead Sherwood and the heavy metal band Motorhead. Higgins played dates in Los Angeles with everyone from Charlie Parker to The Orioles and his band at one point included Johnny Guitar Watson. Although none of Higgins many singles for Aladdin, Caddy, Lucky, Specialty, or Dootone ever earned national acclaim, he was an extremely popular regional attraction through the 50s and into the early 60s, when he retired from performing to become a music teacher at local high schools and a college. A comeback faltered in the mid-70s, when Higgins tried to update his sound by going disco. He returned to honking R&B in the late 70s and toured England in the mid-80s, while performing once more in Los Angeles clubs.