SIDRO GARCIA, electric guitar, as one of 14 children grew up in the small town of Willard, New Mexico. He began playing with his father’s dance band when he was nine. He attended nearby St. Joseph’s College on a basketball scholarship where he formed a band, “The Sneakers.” The band consisted of Sidro’s wife at the time, Beverlee Brown, and his brothers Sal and Ray and two cousins.
Sidro dropped out of school to tour with singer Sue Thompson (“Sad Movies Always Make Me Cry” and “Norman”) and she convinced him and his band to move to Las Vegas in 1964 where the band opened for Jackie Mason at the Aladdin. The Sneakers was a show band with lots of choreography and comedy, and sizzled in the ’60s and ’70s, getting gigs at every major casino in town, plus Reno and Lake Tahoe. Jim Nabors featured the band on his TV variety show several times, and the band performed at a birthday party for Nancy Reagan. Their names appeared on the marquee with the likes of Harry James and Louis Prima. Elvis Presley came to see the band at the Frontier and invited the members to his show – and his parties – at the Las Vegas Hilton.
After Beverlee left the band, it became Sidro’s Armada – a reference to the historic Spanish fleet. He has become a Las Vegas lounge legend honored by all who know him. These days Garcia performs two or three nights a year in Las Vegas; the rest of the time he travels. Today, when he isn’t on the road, he stays close to home and his wife, Susan.
In 1976 I was 18 years old. My sister Dianne and I went to a club in Ontario, California where we lived. Sidro’s Armada was playing there that night. We had such a great time! Sidro’s Armada kept the music going and we danced all night. After the show we talked to Sidro and asked him where they were From because we wanted to come see them again. Sidro told us they lived in Las Vegas and played at the Golden Nugget Casino alot. From then on, whenever we got a free weekend we drove to Las Vegas, four hours from where we lived just so we could dance all weekend to the hottest band ever! ROCK ON SIDRO’S ARMADA!!!