A folk legend

Trini Lopez, died of the Wuhan (Covid 19) virus in Rancho Mirage, Calif in August 16, 2020. He was 83 and working at the time for benefit on a music festival to raised food for those afflicted. Born to Mexican parents in Dallas, Texas on May 13, 1937. ¹ There is a discrepancy about Trini’s birth date. The NYTimes and the News wires say it is May 13th and that’s what I am using, but Wikipedia, not known for being very accurate has the 15th. I’m sticking with the 13th as the Times already updated the article on the 16th to reflect the home town in Mexico’s misspelling, but never corrected the date.

Trinidad Lopez III was born on May 13, 1937, in Dallas. His father, Trinidad II, was a singer, dancer and musician in the ranchera style but made his living as a manual laborer. As a teenager, the elder Mr. Lopez had married Petra Gonzales in their hometown, Moroleón, in central Mexico.

New York Times, August 11 & also their 16th update 2020, obit for Trini

I’ve pegged him to 04 Sagittarius 21 a critical degree in the zodiac, with the symbol, of “an owl is perched on high, deep in the shade of an old landmark of a tree,” and depicts the ingrained confidence of self,” and shows the independence of one’s spirit.

And Trini did go his own way. He left high school and went out on his own after only having learned the guitar four years earlier as a birthday gift from his father. And neither did the prejudice he encountered stop him for when people recommended like Ritchie Valens (real name Valenzuela) he Anglicize his name. , Trini objected saying he would succeed or fail as a “Mexican-American”.

Year later talking about that decision he admitted racism in Texas at the time as rough, he also felt it should not dictate to him. “In Texas, we (Mexicans) were treated worse than the Blacks. But I had big dreams,” he in a 2007 interview with a Seattle radio station.

His Mars focal determinator as the lead planet in his Splash temperament type definitely helped him buck up his pride and encourage his determination. Like his mentor, Frank Sinatra, he was “going to do it his way”. Alas that Mars in the twelfth house hurt him when he dealt with the large Hollywood corporation because his impatience, made him leave the 1967 movie “The Dirty Dozen,” when the production teams worked too slowly.

No air in the cradle

That last move was a mistake, because between the cradle aspect & the no air in his chart, Trini probably showed have bit his tongue and been patient. Originally his part in the movie, and a box office hit, was much larger and integral to the overall plot, but it cut down when he had to make tracks. After that escapade, major roles just did not come his way.

But with Neptune at the Midheaven, movies probably were not what he wanted and perhaps he preferred playing music as an individual than being part of the Hollywood ensemble. He got a chance to design some acoustic guitars for Gibson, the electric company, during the sixties too when the company was trying to capture the acoustic folk market. Those guitars today are collector’s items, and based on the Jupiter in the second house I would think he did well from that deal too.

Hammering all over this place

Probably the most ironic thing about Trini who made popular the Peter Paul and Mary song “If I had a hammer” was that he had a grand trine in earth — always practical and hard-headed that he would become a success. Nonetheless, my all time favorite Trini song, is this one written by folkie Pete Seeger for him. The lyrics are on the site.

Footnotes:

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  There is a discrepancy about Trini’s birth date. The NYTimes and the News wires say it is May 13th and that’s what I am using, but Wikipedia, not known for being very accurate has the 15th. I’m sticking with the 13th as the Times already updated the article on the 16th to reflect the home town in Mexico’s misspelling, but never corrected the date.