Los belkings

How gratifying it is to write this history that required due time to ensure the accuracy of the events leading to the birth and development of the musical career of The Belking’s. This compiled summary aspires to highlight the main achievments of the most creative and important instrumental rock group in Peru: Number 1 in South America and Number 3 in the world.

In 1,963 due to my restless desire to play the guitar, my mother bought me a Peruvian electric guitar when I was 16 years old. I formed a musical group (The Belking’s) with friends in my neighborhood of Lince: Alberto Sánchez, Jorge Mosqueira, Jorge Sánchez. I am the only one remaining that continues with the original idea of having a band.

In 1964 being in High School (Gran Unidad Escolar Melitón Carvajal) I made contact with some of the school members studying music including a saxophonist, a drummer, as well as a pianist friend from the neighborhood.

One Saturday in August of that year those members met in my house (Wilfredo Sandoval), but in addition to these guests was a guitarist that on several occasions I had seen play in school events.

Meeting by these circumstances of life, we two young men, Wilfredo Sandoval Moreno y Raúl Herrera Aguirre, would be the two main pillars that wrote most of the songs of The Belking’s.

In these same times my friend nicknamed Colía, who originally had been invited to play the drums, declined the offer but introduced me to his cousin who was dedicated to drumming. His name was Kiko La Serie and brought along a young friend of Chinese ancestry named Nico who played bass guitar.

In that year studying in High School by day and playing in the band at night in the Club Tabaris (in the tees danzant), we were devoted to liven up the place with a friend that sang and by performing instrumental themes by bands like The Ventures.

Neither Raúl nor I (Wilfredo) forsaw that this new routine in life was to go against our aspirations of being professionals in the near future. We separated from Kiko La Serie and Nico stayed the course.

For the remainder of 1964 we constantly got together to rehearse and met a guy from school named Emilio Zavala that sang in English (songs by bands such as The Animals and the Dave Clark Five). Continuing with my intentions for the band, he eventually left in order to attend the University (being older than us younger enthusiasts ), leaving his position to a cousin named Daniel Rosario who had the same mastery of the English language and fanatacism for the Beatles.

Lacking a drummer, Raúl invited his ex classmate, a japanese kid named Walter Aray Nozawa, who had a snare drum and experience as member in the military band at Melitón Carvajal High School.

During that period we made music amongst ourselves. Along the way, we met a 13 year old kid that played bass and we brought him into the band. We nicknamed him Magoo because of his big eyeglasses.

Because we were playing better day by day, Walter Aray Nozawa´s older brother bought him a complete drum kit so that he could further develop his talent.

In the summer of 1965 a friend named Olín talked with us about the possibillity of getting a contract and we played in a theatre in Tarma for Carnaval. Full of high hopes, we prepared and rehearsed our song set for the performance. What was originally to be quick round trip became an extended stay, being contracted long-term by a radio station in the city of Tarma because of the success we achieved.

We five band members: Raúl Herrera, Wilfredo Sandoval, Walter Aray, Daniel Rosario and José Olivera (Magoo), returned triumphant from our first touring experience.

As an aside, I need to stop to narrate a situation that later would have a relevant impact in the lives of The Belking’s: Walter Aray suffered from asthma and our tour was an enormous worry for his family.

There was a television program on channel 2 of music for teens hosted by Sergio Vergara. They gave us the opportunity to rotate in the broadcast programming. First in Radio Victoria and later, because of acclaim, we were invited to alternate with Brazilian singer Sergio Murillo (famous at the time), and with the band 007 (circumstantially an important relation since one of them later joined our group). During our two months on the air, Los Belking´s maintained a warm reception in our performances.

In 1966 our friend Magoo leaves the group and Jerry Lam Cam joins as bassist thus consolidating the band. He adapted to our concerns.

Our friend Olín Benavides that functioned as our agent told us we needed for the matinee people too know us. He obtained an invitation for the Theatry Idol in Pueblo Libre.

The theater was totally full, and the excitement of the crowd was such that when we played the instrumental themes, the disk jockeys in attendance were amazed. One of them, (Gustavo Galliani Diaz) expressed his intention to be our representative and to refrain us from singing since our uniqueness was our instrumentals. And so from that moment on we became an instrumental group.

Gustavo Galliani Diaz had the energy, ability, and would not let himself be defeated. He was one that if he came to a closed door, he would get it opened and enter it. One needs to recognize (that a large contribution to the musical quality of the band and to my concerns as a perfectionist) ..........was Gustavo Galliani´s great vision of the future and his predictions of what we would be with his great support.

¡ Thank you Gustavo! we had the wisdom of to understand each other and to make a team like we achieved with The Belking's.

In November of 1966 the record company through their Manager of Promotion and likewise by radio disc jockey Victor Cáceres Fuentes organized a contest so that a band with a new style would be able to record for their record label. The contest organized in the Theatry Tauro was won by The Belkings. The destiny can be traced inexorably to the same time we finished High School.

In 1967 Gustavo Galliani brings us the news that the group will record its first 45 rpm single. Side A was titled “El Guazón” (The Joker) with Gustavo's laughter. Side B was titled “La Playa” (The Beach) with the contribution of Jerry Lam´s cousin David Lam on Hawaiian guitar. It was a smash hit, surpising us as it rose to the top of the pop charts.

We didn´t wait to make the following 45 rpm single. From that moment, an uncle of Walter Aray, recently arrived from Carnaval in Rio de Janiero, delivered us a record with the version of Tema para jóvenes Enamorados (Them for young lovers). We like it and we made our rendition recorded as side B to the single Negro es Negro (Black is Black). How ironic! What we regarded as less important became the hymn for those that loved the good happy music of B. Welch (who wrote the song).

After such a success, the record company started pressuring us to record another single.

On side A we recorded Empujando fuerte (Pushing hard) and on side B Pipa de Paz (Peace pipe), for which we never had the vinyl recording, just a magnetic tape in bad condition from which we had to deduce the melody and the passages that weren´t clear. This disk gave us enormous satisfaction for the quality we achieved as well as good sales based on the good ratings of radio airplay.

At that time I was studying at the University and working in a store that imported parts for radio and television. At my requests, the owner of the shop began importing electric guitars and amplifiers from Japan as well as from England. This step allowed us to negotiate and buy a VOX brand amplifier from England and a Dynacord effects box from Germany to complement what we already had: a Teisco guitar and amplifier (Japan), a Fender Bassman amplifier, a Hofner bass guitar, a Fender Mustang guitar, and a Roxi drum kit.

Inspired by the new sound, we developed our creative capacity even more and improved our tonal quality. This was immediately evident in the recording of Pipa de Pazand Empujando fuerte.

In the history of music recording in Peru (up to that time) an unprecedented landmark was reached: the non-intervention of the record company allowing us to record whatever song. They never told us what to record, but yes they needed us to create new hits that come to light. We had the support of musical freedom from the beginning…we never failed the record company.

By our own choice we recorded a new 45 rpm single. On side A was Tesis Psicodélica and side B El Amor es Triste (Love is Bleu) The upward tendency was evident. The release of the fourth single landed rapidly in the musical preferences of the youth from then on.