The original
Juan Dela Cruz Band, consisting of
Wally Gonzalez (guitar),
Sandy Tagarro (bass guitar),
Edmund Fortuno (drums),
Bing Labrador (organ), and
Alex Cruz (saxophones & flute), was formed in 1968. (
Source: PinoyClassicRock.com) They performed that year at the Antipolo Rock Festival (filipino equivalent to the legendary
Woodstock Rock Festival of 1969) and was subsequently tapped as the featured rock band in tandem with the Manila Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Redentor Romero) for the Philippine production of the
rock opera by
Tim Rice and
Andrew Lloyd Webber,
Jesus Christ Superstar, at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines. Consequent to his dramatic part as the Judas character in the rock opera production, Sandy Tagarro vacated his instrumentalist role in the group and was replaced by
Clifford Ho as bass guitarist.Upon the conclusion of the Jesus Christ Superstar production, Edmund Fortuno (aka
"Bosyo"), Bing Labrador and Alex Cruz (with guitarist Vic Naldo and bassist Marlon Ilagan) formed a splinter group,
Anakbayan which, together with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, performed for another major production run at the Cultural Center, the rock opera,
Tommy by
The Who.The versatile Sandy Tagarro returned to the Juan Dela Cruz Band, occupying the drummer's seat as Fortuno's replacement, and also as the band's lead vocalist; while Clifford Ho retained the bass chores. A musician from the Manila Symphony Orchestra (whom they had befriended in the Jesus Christ Superstar production),
Romy Santos (flute/sax/clarinet), replaced Alex Cruz.
Rene Segueco (organ/piano/vocal) was also recruited to replace Bing Labrador. In the wake of this major revamp, the Juan Dela Cruz Band recorded its first album in 1971, entitled
Up in Arms, which was released by the
Vicor Music Corporation under its Sunshine Records imprint. However, complications in the band caused Sandy Tagarro to leave abruptly barely after concluding the Up In Arms recording sessions; not even to pose for the album's photography. Consequently, the group picture for the LP's album cover showed a different drummer (
Bobot Guerrero), with Tagarro's name stricken off the personnel credits, with exception to a parenthetical credit of him as composer of one song ("Lady in White Satin"). Bobot Guerrero's entry as the new drummer of Juan Dela Cruz continued through the promotional run of the album and into concerts and club stints.The
Up in Arms album was not a commercial success and had not been reissued by Vicor Music Corporation to date. An unauthorized compact disc translation of the LP (albeit excellently remastered and packaged) by Shadoks /Normal Music (Bonn, Germany) --with spurious bonus tracks from a later edition of the band-- is sold in online Internet shops. Wally Gonzales is showcased as a rock guitarist with progressive leanings in this early effort. In several months, keyboardist Rene Sugueco had also left (briefly replaced by
Larry Martinez), and bassist Clifford Ho (briefly replaced by
Tony Rodriguez). It was during this transition phase that
Joey Smith had recently returned to the Philippines from a successful sojourn in
Japan, and in 1973 had accepted a cameo singing role at the Cultural Center's "Little Theater" for an abortive
rock musical (produced by Carlitos Benavides) based on
Erich Segal's novel then in vogue,
Love Story, in which the Juan Dela Cruz Band was once again called upon to perform. This was also the period when the members of Juan Dela Cruz and Anakbayan where freely associating and performing collectively as a "supergroup" ensemble in various concerts.
Track Listing...
1. Justice (Where Are You)
2. Stranger In A Land
3. Mystery Roach
4. Requiem For A Head
5. Lady In White Satin
6. Love Of A Woman
7. Kagatan (Live)
8. Balong Malalim (Live)
9. Beep Beep (Live)
10. Palengke (Live)
11. Langit (Live)
12. Sarap Ng Buhay (Live)
The Juan dela Cruz Band is one of the few less commercialized electric bands in the Philippines, a South East Asia archipelago which claims to have more western-oriented musicians per square mile than any country in the world. The impact of the group in the local hard and mellow rock scene is tremendous , the band was featured in the first open field Rock festival in the Philippines, the “Antipolo Rock Festival”. The bands popularity gained terrific momentum in September of 1971 when it reaped a singular honor in backing up the “Jesus Christ, Superstar” Rock opera production at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Then in December of the same year, the band garnered it’s crowning glory when again, for the first time in the Philippines, a rock group on it’s own, backed by a full Symphony Orchestra (the National Philharmonic) was presented in concert at the prestigious CCP. No other group in the Philippines gained so much greater heights of success in relativity a very short span of time. The Juan dela Cruz Band now reaches out for a wider international audience." 
