2009 TEJANO CONVENTION 2009 TEJANO CONVENTION

DALLAS, TX – Southwest Airlines presents the 2009 National Tejano Music Convention scheduled for August 21 and 22 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Reunion in Dallas, Texas. The Convention will be hosted by top comedians Willie Barcena and Gilbert Esquivel, and will feature the hottest recording artists in the Tex-Mex music industry. Now in its sixth year, the Convention will bring together over 5,000 Tejano music enthusiasts, fans and other music industry representatives, serving as the ultimate “meeting ground” in advancing the growth of the Tejano (Tex-Mex) music genre as an American art form.

Scheduled to perform include Tejano veteran Gary Hobbs, celebrating his 25^th anniversary in the music industry. Tejano superstar Ram Herrera will be joined by special guest, the incomparable Jay Perez. Jay Perez is soon to release his first live CD which was recorded at the 2008 Tejano Music National Convention. A rising star in the industry, A.J. Castillo will make his anticipated Convention debut on Friday August 21. Conjunto mainstays Mingo Saldivar, Sunny Sauceda and the Texmaniacs join forces in the Tres Generaciones De Acordeon segment. Known for bringing together special performances and reunions, this year’s Convention will reunite the 90’s hit-makers Fandango USA. In addition, the Tex-Mex Kadillacs will perform with Elida Reyna and Roger Velasquez and the Latin Legends will feature Elizabeth “La Cantante.” The legends of La Onda segment brings together Agustin Ramirez and Joe Bravo, while the Conjunto Explosion segment boasts the Hometown Boys. New to this year’s Tejano Convention is the national showcase segment which will highlight noted performing group outside of the state of Texas. Los Carnales of Michigan is scheduled to perform.

“With the economy having an impact on fans nationwide, we’ve made this year’s Convention’s component’s either free or more than 50% off previous year’s pricing,” said David Chavez, Founder and Executive Producer. “As the single most impactful event in the genre, we’ve made every effort to not let the economy slow down Tejano music supporters in Texas and throughout the U.S.”

Convention highlights include the 2009 Tejano Mega Dances held nightly and featuring "the best of the best" award-winning recording artists in a musical extravaganza to more than 3,000 dancers. The AARP Tejano Experience USA Expo and Fanfare, a market place uniting artists with their fan base, will have more than 100 booths, music stages and artists autograph sessions. Workshops and Seminars for artists and fans also will be presented as well as Master Class Music Series providing "tips of the trade" to enhance musicians skills.

Convention sponsors include title sponsor Southwest Airlines, AARP, The Recording Academy, BMI, Casino Del Sol, and BNET Radio.com. For registration information, log on to tejanoticket.com. Registration fees start at $15.00 to $80.00, to register for the Convention call (913) 397-8850 or email info@tejanoticket.com .

After almost 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nations leading low-fare carrier is the most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience. Southwest offers all premium leather seats and plenty of legroom with a young all-Boeing 737 fleet. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) currently serves 65 cities in 33 states, with service beginning to New York LaGuardia, Boston Logan, and Milwaukee later this year. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide.

The Tejano Music National Convention is produced by LatinPointe, Inc., a national Hispanic communications, branding, and programming company, based in Olathe, Kansas. Convention Executive Producer David Chavez currently holds the unique distinction of serving as Executive Producer of two Hispanic-themed primetime TV specials on both English and Spanish language networks with the ABC Network ALMA Awards and the Univision Network Premios Deportes. Chavez recently produced the Latino Inaugural Gala this past January in Washington, D.C.