SUNNY OZUNA
SUNNY & THE SUNLINERS
Sunny Ozuna first started performing as a vocalist in the late 1950s with high school bands including The Sequence and The Galaxies. By the early ‘60s he joined the Sun-Glows (aka Sunglows), penning their first big hit, “Just A Moment.” By 1962 Sunny had formed The Sunliners and recorded his first national hit, the Huey Meaux-produced “Talk To Me,” released on Meaux’s Tear Drop label. The popularity of the song brought him to stages around the country, including a pioneering 1963 slot on “American Bandstand.”He recorded multiple albums for Meaux on Tear Drop through 1966, at which point he formed his own imprint – Key-Loc Records. For the rest of the 1960s and the 1970s, his output – in English and Spanish – would be found here.
Big Crown Records compiled their favourites from Key-Loc Records and released “Mr. Brown Eyed Soul" a couple weeks back. Watch out for the limited LP releases for "Smile Now, Cry Later" & "The Missing Link" on Black Friday.
“Whether they are singing in English or Spanish, their music oozes with the funk and sweat you produce when you’re being chased to the top.”
– Ruben Molina (author of the book Chicano Soul)