Paul and Margarita Guerrero and their six children lived in New Braunfels and all played in the family band in the late 1930’s and 1940’s. They played dance-band music and Mexican boleros as they traveled regionally around Texas. The father, Paul Sr. also played trumpet and valve trombone in many top Afro-American bands, such as Cab Calloway’s, mostly due to Jim Crow laws at the time. At that time, African American bands could only have “non-white” band members fill in when the band needed local musicians. In the late 1940’s Paul Sr. moved his family to Dallas. His namesake son, Paul Jr. started playing the drums at 10 and by 14, he took his first job outside the family band, with the Marcelino Marcelena Orchestra playing live radio broadcasts. The Guerrero children went to Sunset High School and Paul Jr. then enrolled in North Texas State University (now, the University of North Texas or UNT) working towards a teaching degree. However, before he finished he was drafted. In the Army he played in the 4th Army Band and met such jazz greats as Vic Damone, Carl Fontana, and Jack Hanna (another great jazz drummer and band leader), who became a lifelong friend. After the Army, he went back to school, but his education was interrupted again by a huge break, an invitation to tour with the great Woody Herman Band. He said yes, but not before he asked his girlfriend and schoolmate, Celeste Roberts, to marry him and travel with the band.
After two years of touring in the early 1960’s, the couple settled in the house on N. Hall St. in Perry Heights. The Guerreros remained close to Woody Herman, and he occasionally would stop in Dallas and play with Paul Jr. at the club where he would be locally famous, the Bagatelle Lounge in One Energy Place on Greenville Avenue. Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, and Brasil 66 would also stop in as they passed through town. Most nights in the 1970’s and ’80’s, The Guerrero Quintet played with a vocalist, Jeannie Maxwell. To hear, click here (Dale McFarland posted a few of these performances).
Paul Jr. later completed his education with a doctorate degree in Music. He taught at North Texas State as well as Southern Methodist University, where he developed the University’s first stage band program. He also taught at Richland College. He did all of this while still playing with such stars as Henri Mancini, Sonny & Cher, the 5th Dimension, Vikki Carr, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He wrote the jazz curriculum for the Dallas Arts Magnet School. Paul Jr. died of Leukemia in March 1989. The West Dress Circle Stairway at the Myerson Hall is named in honor of him as a professional musician, educator, friend, and promoter of young jazz players and as a mover in the Hispanic community. Richland College and UNT established scholarship endowment funds in his name. Every November 5th (his birthday) is Paul Guerrero Day in the state of Texas, County of Dallas, and City of Dallas.
His wife, Celeste, was a big personality in her own right. After Paul’s passing, Celeste moved from the house on Hall St. to a townhouse in Park Place and lived there until her death in 20121. Celeste was very involved in Perry Heights. She was a driving force in getting Herschel and Prescott streets closed off to cross traffic in the 1970’s.
To celebrate that event, Paul’s band played for the neighborhood. She also was one of the founding officers of the neighborhood association. She donated much of her time to working with undocumented families in the 1980’s and 90’s, making good use of her fluent Spanish.
Paul Jr.’s brother, Emilio Guerrero lived across the street from Paul and Celeste on N. Hall St. He and his wife of 61 years, Angelina, had two daughters. Emilio, also Korean war veteran, was a well-respected businessman in his own right. For 55 years he was the owner and operator of Guerrero Barbershop on Lemmon Ave. Brownie’s Barbershop now occupies that space. Emilio passed away in 2015.
Thank you for this article. I lived next to Celeste in Park Place the last 7 or so years of her life. She loved Perry Heights and was proud of her family and her contributions to the neighborhood.
Paul played some in the UB at North Texas while I was also a student there. Then my husband and I saw him some in Dallas at least once at the Bagatelle. We loved to hear Jeanne Maxwell sing.
Thanks so much for posting this. Fond memories. David and Ida Sprague
Thank you so much for this wonderful article. Paul and Celeste were family friends of my parents, Leo and Brenda Meier. My Dad owned Bagatelle and we spent many a night there listening to the band. My Mom and Celeste stayed best friends until my Mom passed in 1991. Some of my best childhood memories were from those times. We truly loved Paul, Celeste, and their boys Paulie and Joey. Cheers, ~~Vanessa Meier