Artist ~ Manny Ribera ~

Manny Ribera was born and raised in Midland Texas in 1955.
As a youngster in elementary school  he remembers drawing images on his paper while every one in class were doing their home work! When in six grade there was a citywide art contest entitled "Christmas in Midland"  and to his amazement he won 4th place out of all the elementary schools in town, and because of the subject matter it landed him and his school principal Bill Ridell in a television  interview and an award in front of all his peers in his school at Crockett Elementary. He remembers when he was in the 4Th grade as he and his sister were at home watching cartoons which was a custom back in the old days, he was sketching her face as she was watching the TV, and to his amazement he was shocked that the drawing looked just like his sister's  face when he was finished!

When Manny was in the 7th grade he regretted not taking art classes, he instead took what his friends were taking which was Spanish and Wood Shop!

At the age of 12 Manny got his fist guitar for his birthday and was a member of about 3 bands playing what was back then  called Chicano music now known as Tejano . He knew once he would play in a famous Tejano band that he would find the most highest excitement of his life and that from then on he would be happy the rest of his life!  Manny dropped out of Midland High School in the 12th grade at age 17 wanting to get married with his girlfriend of age 29. After finding out that his pregnant girlfriend's baby was not his, Manny wanted so badly to end his life!

He moved to Lubbock ,Texas for almost a year in 1974 with a deep hurt caused by his girlfriend and moved away to get rid of the pain. But when Manny got drunk he would call his girlfriend and asked her why did she did this to him.
In the summer of 1974 Manny landed a guitar job playing with a super famous Chicano/Tejano band of its time ...."Cruz Garica and the Latin Glows"  ...finally Manny knew this is what he had been waiting for since he was 12 years of age, the big break!! After playing and traveling with The Latin Glows he remembers passing though Saint Louis, Missouri watching the huge arch on the skyscraper, and feeling like every one in the world was having a great time except for him. They were on their way to Chicago to play for the 4Th of July . They Played in Chicago at the Argon Ball Room with Sunny Ozuna, meeting with Johnny Canales and other groups, and tons of girls to meet, but down deep inside there was this emptiness even though he had arrived where he wanted to be all his life playing in a professional band.  He and all the band members were financially broke because they would not get paid untill Sunday night, and Manny prayed after he was watching the 700 Club and asked the Lord for the first time if the people in the fast food place would give him credit for a hamburger and some french fries, to his amazement the sweet 60's or 70's sweet little lady just gave Manny the food, which is in his record the first prayer God ever answered in his life!!

After Manny left home at age 17, it broke his moms heart and it lead his mom to a Spanish Pentecostal Church because some one told her that they prayed for families so she went.  So for the first time she went to the alter call and asked to pray for her son who was out traveling with a band and she could feel his sufferings etc....  Well we have always heard of the power of moms' prayers, well Manny's mom's prayers were so strong that it broke the band and they were never heard from again!!!

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