Bicultural Music

For most of her 33 years, Tish Hinojosa felt caught between two worlds. Her parents, who immigrated from Mexico to San Antonio some 50 years ago, worked hard to hold on to their heritage. But her 12 older siblings discarded much of their roots.

It was the same in her musical career. Hinojosa, influenced by Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, often found herself having to choose between her interests in Southwestern Latino traditions and the commercial realities of the country-folk field in which she worked.

“I think it’s important to go with the norm of society,” she said from her home in Austin, Tex. “But it’s a real loss if you lose your culture and heritage.”

But in the last couple years, Hinojosa came to appreciate that the bicultural immigrant experience is the norm of American society. That fact, and pride in her two cultures, inspired the thematic core of “Homeland,” Hinojosa’s first major-label album, on A&M;’s new Americana series. The songs (three of them in Spanish) speak of struggles and triumphs on both sides of the Mexico-Texas border, and draw on the rich musical traditions of the region.

Just a few years ago, Hinojosa hardly dreamed of being able to release this kind of material through a major label. At the time, she was living in Nashville, contracted by Mel Tillis’ publishing company to sing songs from its catalogue.

“But the music I was starting to write in ’83 and ’84 was taking a turn toward social issues and I was writing more Spanish stuff,” she said. “That wasn’t selling at all in Nashville. They said, ‘Nah, it’s not commercial.’ But instead of taking it personally, I figured it was time to leave.”

Hinojosa then honed her style by touring the folk and college circuit, backed by her husband Craig Barker, all the while becoming more committed to her blend of styles. But while she has been able to retain her roots, Hinojosa understands why her brothers and sisters turned away from them.

“They grew up in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and people were prejudiced then,” she said. “Mexicans had to go in the back doors of theaters. A lot of them tried to Anglicize then.”

Her family’s response to her album? “They love it,” she said. “It’s kind of reopened their eyes a lot.”