Gonzalez is the head of Rampart Records, which earned a measure of fame in the 1960s as the originator of the “West Coast Eastside Sound” — and whose founder dreamed of its becoming a Mexican American Motown.

That was Eddie Davis, who produced bands from Boyle Heights, East L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley with names like the Blendells, the Romancers, the Premiers, and Cannibal and the Headhunters. The last group toured with the Beatles in 1965 after scoring a big hit with “Land of a Thousand Dances.”

Rampart’s stable of musicians consisted of kids from the barrios, often discouraged by their parents from speaking Spanish because they were afraid they would be discriminated against. Their role models were often black artists. One weekend they might share the same stage at the El Monte Legion Stadium with Chuck Berry or Ray Charles, and the next vie with mariachis for gigs at baptismal parties, quinceañeras and weddings.

But by the 1970s, with immigration from Mexico booming, the distinctly Mexican American sound that Rampart championed — almost all of it sung in English — became overshadowed by Mexican music, which appealed to both the American-born and the immigrant.

Even though several Mexican American bands, including East L.A.’s Los Lobos, have gained fame since, Gonzalez believes most acts are largely overshadowed by Spanish-language artists, particularly from Mexico, who get to tap into a colossal media network including TV giants like Univision and popular Spanish-language radio stations.

“The Mexican American isn’t seen as being as profitable, man,” he says, revealing an undercurrent of tension between the two groups. “The immigrant is more profitable.”

That hasn’t stopped him from trying to resurrect the dream of a Mexican American Motown, re-releasing classic albums, making the music digitally available in scores of countries and signing new acts.

He knows it won’t be easy. But he believes it’s his destiny.

“I figured I’m going to try to be the guy, even if I end up homeless.”

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http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/08/local/la-me-rampart-records-20130109