SAN ANTONIO — He's known for having launched the careers of Tejano greats like Selena, Bobby Pulido, Shelly Lares, La Mafia and La Sombra de Chicago.
Johnny Canales was a pioneer whose showcasing of exclusively Latino music reached listeners around the world.
The musician and TV host died Thursday morning, according to a post his wife, Nora, shared on the couple's Facebook page. No cause of death was released.
Canales was 77 years old.
From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, watching "The Johnny Canales Show" was a tradition that brought families together. The program started in Corpus Christi, but soon expanded its broadcast across the country and to parts of Mexico.
As Tejano singer-songwriter Shelly Lares told KENS 5, in a genre that has suffered at times, Canales always saw its value.
"We know this life is not forever. But man, talk about the magnitude of what this man has done in 77 years of his life," said Lares. "He really was the first one to really take [Tejano music] internationally. He really launched a lot of our careers. I know Selena and I, we both were young when we performed on his show."
As news of his death started to spread, record shops played Tejano music in honor of Canales and the impactful legacy he left behind.
Janie's Record Shop off Bandera Road, for example, is known for its carefully curated Tejano selection.
On Thursday, Co-Owner Robert Esparza started spinning Tejano legends in honor of another.
"I pulled out an Augustin Ramirez," Esparza showed KENS 5. "This was right in the era where Johnny Canales was still recording."
Born in Mexico and raised in Robstown, a town of a little more than 10,000 near Corpus Christi, Canales served in the U.S. Army before starting his own music career.
"He recorded quite a few albums," said Esparza. "He was a very good artist. He was the lead singer of his band."
Canales's biggest break came in the early '80s with The Johnny Canales Show.
"Just like the first time you've ever been on the Johnny Carson Show or the first time you've ever been on American Band Stand, that was the Johnny Canales Show," Esparza explained.
Through his humor, humility and authenticity, Canales took Tejano culture beyond the borders of Texas—well before the internet could.
"He really launched us into areas that we hadn't been," said Lares, who was first invited onto "The Johnny Canales Show" shortly after its debut. "The numbers were pretty incredible to see that we were being heard and seen in different countries, let alone throughout the United States."
Lares made her first appearance on the show when she was 12 years old.
"I would have to say if you mesh Dick Clark and Johnny Carson, but only a little bit brown – add some comino (cumin) on there – that was Johnny Canales for sure," said Lares, laughing.
Lares's most cherished memory with Canales happened when she was 21. Thanks to this YouTube clip, she says fans still talk to her about it.
"I had released one of my biggest hits that I didn't know was going to be my biggest hits at the time, called 'Ganas de Besarte' – there I am up there with my red hair, long, curly, red hair – he told me in Spanish, 'Look me in my eyes and tell me what the title of the song is'. I was like, 'Ganas de Besarte!' When I said it like he was like, 'Tell me again.' That's when I realized, what is this dude doing? I just started laughing," said Lares.
When Canales recognized a fan, he'd give a shoutout. It didn't matter if it was during a performance.
His last video message was posted May 20 to his Facebook page, in which he gave supporters a big thank you for their prayers.
"I know that all of the angels that are musicians up there [in Heaven] are going to get a proper introduction with, 'You got it! Take it away!'"
One of the most iconic figures of Norteño music, Ramón Ayala, posted a tribute to Canales on his Instagram page.
He said, in part, "To talk about Johnny Canales is to talk about a man who supported and gave space to new musical talents no matter where they were from...His program...always defended just causes and immigrants...You got it, take it away!"
The official Facebook page for Selena Quintanilla also shared a tribute to Canales, posting a video of two of the late singer's performances on the show.