Rudy Salas, founding guitarist of the Chicano R&B band Tierra and audacious pioneer of Los Angeles’ soulful Eastside sound, died in his sleep Tuesday morning at age 71.
His stepdaughter, Cresi, says that Salas and his wife, Joanna Alvarado Salas, had just celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary in Las Vegas. The cause of his death is yet to be determined, but Salas’ family says it was unrelated to COVID-19.
Salas was born Jan. 5, 1949, in Lincoln Heights to Mexican American parents Rudy Sr. and Margaret Salas. “He was born on the only day it ever snowed in L.A.,” recalls his maternal uncle Art Brambila, who for a time was Tierra’s manager and producer.