Biography:

Mr. Sandoval is survived by the love of his life, wife of 66 years, Minerva Rodriguez Sandoval; five children, Bridget (Ruben) Maldonado, Vilma (Robert) Molina, Patty (Kevin) Sralla, Sylvia (Henry) Perez and Rene Sandoval Jr. (Martin Ybarra); and 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Angie (Freddy) Longoria, infant grandson, Rene Guerra III, brothers Federico R. Sandoval Sr., Audomaro E. Sandoval Sr., Artemio Sandoval and Leonel Sandoval; and sisters Soila (Richard) Rodriguez, Bridget Sandoval and Aurora (Carlos) Contreras.

Mr. Sandoval was born in Pharr, Tex., on January 22, 1936 to the late Federico and Anita Sandoval. The youngest of eight children, Mr. Sandoval attended schools in Pharr and graduated from PSJA High school in 1954. His formal music education started at home through the careful teaching of his mother, Anita, who taught him how to play the piano. Her love of music and the arts ignited a similar admiration in young Rene. He started playing the clarinet in grade school and was so talented that he was named to the high school senior band as a seventh-grader. He was one of only two band members at PSJA High who was a member for six years. He also loved sports and played basketball and football for PSJA High School, and served as junior class vice-president. But it was always about music.

At the age of 13, Mr. Sandoval began playing saxophone professionally with the band, Mario Saenz Y Los Gavilanes, in dance halls throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Since then, the gifted young musician played with a variety of musical acts, all at the beginning of what is now called Tejano music. He played with artists such as Leonel Alba, the Eugenio Gutierrez Orchestra and performed on a one-hour weekly radio show on KURV-AM with Pedro Suarez. During the mid-1950s, Mr. Sandoval joined the first Tejano TV show called “Fiesta Latina” on KRGV-TV Channel 5, where he fronted an eight-piece big band, performing the ballroom standards of the day. It was during this experience that Mr. Sandoval met his future wife, singer Minerva Rodriguez, of Weslaco. Though he enjoyed playing the music of the Valley, his first real love was jazz.

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