[Dixielandjazz] Two quick questions...

[Will Connelly]

Stephen Heist wrote:

>Hello gang...
>
>First, eegads, I lost all the verses I collected to Peoria...!  If you have a funny verse (you know to the minor section...) please send it to me off-line - I want to start doing some of those.
>
>ALSO, do you remember the song "Maria Elena" done in the 50's-60's by a group called Los Indios Trabajeros (sp?)  There was sort of like an urban legend going around at the time that this group was a bunch of uneducated and wild Indians somewhere in South America (maybe Mexico) who found guitars and came out of the jungle with this song that somebody then recorded...  I want to find out the TRUE story - or could this be true???
>I DO know that this was not the first version of Maria Elena, but I'm curious as heck about this "legend"...
>Thanks in advance!
>Steve Heist
>  
>
Steve -
I'm glad to see you back on the list. It's been a while.
Los Indios Trabajeros and their legend turned up on the Tonight Show 
with, as fading memory recalls, Jack Paar. The legend turned out to be 
purely fictional, and I think their land of origin was supposed to be 
Peru (or am I thinking of  Mel Brooks' "peruvian indians' in the 2000 
Year Old Man?) . I remember thinking at the time that it was a terrific 
PR stunt.
I think Pete Fountain recorded Maria Elena. Or possibly not.
Kindly
Will Connelly