has devoted his career to re-creating the Tex-Mex, Farfisa organ rock & roll sound of such '60s groups as
. After playing in a succession of bands around Texas in the late '60s and early '70s,
in 1978.
By 1979, he had formed
the Crowns and was calling his music "nuevo wavo," playing especially in New York, where he appeared on-stage in a cape and crown. He was signed to the U.K. Stiff label and
Joe Boyd's Hannibal label in the U.S., and released
Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns in 1980. By 1982, he had moved up to major label MCA for
Synapse Gap, followed by
Party Weekend (1983). He moved to Rounder for 1987's
Bandido Rock, credited to
Joe "King" Carrasco y las Coronas. During the '90s and 2000s, he added reggae and cumbia to his Tex-Mex stew, with releases on Royal Texacali and Anaconda.
–
William Ruhlmann, Rovi