Carlos Zuniga a local music composer came to the United States at the age of 19 in July of 1983 from Jerécuaro, Guanajuato, Mexico. Upon arrival, he worked as a laborer in Sonora, Texas for 5 years later moving to Waco for another 3-4 years before he settled in San Angelo.
When he was 13 his father purchased an old guitar for him and he soon composed his first song. Zuniga’s mother was also a composer but never investigated doing it professionally. He recalls her composing songs for his father. “My father would cross the border to the United States to work and when they were apart, she would compose songs of sadness and moments of saying farewell,” commented Zuniga. One month before his mother passed away, she was able to sing one of her songs for the family and luckily a family member was able to take a video of the personal performance.
“Inspiration is not given, it is born within you,” stated Zuniga. He has met many people through his musical talent. Some have asked him to compose a song for a family member or friend and he finds it hard sometimes because he doesn’t know how they want it. “The way I see it, it is much easier to write a song when one has a heartbreak or deception,” commented Zuniga.
He has composed a lot of music for his family. Some of his music has been performed by Chispa Tropical and Eliseo Robles.
“Family is a huge support in this career,” concluded Zuniga.