African Americans in South Texas History

Corpus Christi’s Galvan Ballroom

Corpus Christi’s Galvan Ballroom Music and Multiculturalism in the 1950s DAVID lOuZON rElATIVEly FEW OF COrPus CHrIsTI’s MOrE historically important cultural landmarks remain intact today . North Beach, which once teemed with arcades and pedestrian traffic,the municipal fishing pier,the saltwater swimming pool,and the Ferris wheel are gone or so altered that they no longer hold the same significance. One exception to this dearth of historical sites, however, is Corpus Christi’s Galvan Ballroom. Built in 1950 by rafael Galvan sr., the ballroom represents a Mexican American family’s contribution to the city’s culture in the post-World War II era and it serves as an example of multiculturalism within the city. During its early years, the Galvan Ballroom, like similar establishments in urban areas of the south, transcended legal restrictions on segregation and provided Corpus Christi residents with opportunities for a limited mixture of race, ethnicity, and class. The ballroom fostered the growth of a multicultural community in three ways. First, it provided a meeting place for Hispanics, blacks, and Anglos. second , the Galvan Orchestra, comprised of rafael Galvan’s four sons, provided a repertoire of African American-influenced jazz and swing, music that promoted cultural pluralism and tolerance between Corpus Christi’s various racial and ethnic groups. Finally, the ballroom showcased major bands of differing races and nationalities, which bestowed on south Texas music lovers a broader spectrum of multicultural entertainment .1 These three elements provided a catalyst for cultural exchange. Historian louis Erenberg observed the centrality of black musicians within “the lives of white fans, how jazz clubs became interracial ฀ 257฀ 258 DAVID lOuZON settings,and how the black musicians stood as bohemian alternatives to a narrowing middle-class world.”2 The example of the Galvan Ballroom strongly suggests that Erenberg’s theory held true in Corpus Christi. The ballroom and the African American-inspired music played there accelerated Corpus Christi’s ability to transition from legal segregation to multicultural acceptance.The music itself played just as important a role. Jazz and swing, according to historian Anthony Macias, resisted “social segregation and highbrow reification by fostering contact and comprehension, as well as musical and physical expression, in public spaces.”3 As one of those public spaces, the Galvan Ballroom allowed Anglo-American and Mexican American audiences to hear African American music,to see professional black musicians,and to experience and appreciate a small segment of black culture. Married in 1919, rafael Galvan sr. and his wife Virginia reared a large and close-knit family.They had five girls—Beatrice, rosa, Patty , Mamie, and Virginia—and four boys—ralph, sammy, Eddie, and Bobby.4 A career police officer and long-time businessman, Galvan knew the importance of keeping his nine children busy after school. In the early 1930s, he hired Bernabe Alvarado, a local music instructor , to walk his young children home and provide them with music lessons.5 For three hours each evening, therefore,Alvarado tutored the Galvan children.6 Many years later, youngest son Bobby remembered these lessons vividly and best summed up their effect by noting that he and his siblings became “fanatics about music.”They practiced and performed together regularly as a family. They played at home, in school, at social gatherings, and at local clubs. sammy and ralph even performed while serving in the military during World War II.7 As young musicians, the Galvan brothers enjoyed many opportunities to share their talent. starting in their early teens, ralph and Eddie played at area nightspots and at events with the locally renowned Jake stephens Orchestra. However, one December evening in 1946 while playing at the popular riviera Club, stephens notified his band members they would have to play longer hours for less money than their current $65 a week salary. Consequently, ralph and Eddie gave two weeks’ notice. That night, the two brothers returned home and Corpus฀Christi’s฀Galvan฀Ballroom฀ 259฀ reluctantly informed their father what had transpired. According to ralph, the eldest son, their father supported their decision, telling his boys he had anticipated the day they would need to form their own orchestra. He said,“Money was not a problem,” and he bought them all the necessary equipment and a complete library of musical arrangements .8 On January 27, 1947, the fifteen-piece ralph Galvan Orchestra, the largest orchestra in Corpus Christi at the time, performed its first engagement at the Corpus Christi Civic...