Racial Tension Recalled

John Zavesky takes Abraham Quintanilla to task for saying that America wasn’t ready for Latin artists singing in English back in the ‘50s (Saturday Letters, April 17). Quintanilla was no doubt alluding to the tense racial atmosphere so prevalent in his day. I’m from Corpus Christi too, and I remember. Ritchie Valens and others anglicized their names to better attain success.

WILL MIR

Woodland Hills

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For the record, Santo & Johnny Farina are of Italian descent, not Latin. And Zavesky’s point wouldn’t apply if they were, since they were an instrumental group.

DAVID KLINGAMAN

Huntington Park