From the Houston Chronical Newpaper writer Mike Glenn www.chron.comTejano music king Emilio Navaira remained in critical condition in a Houston hospital late Sunday, fighting for his life after his tour bus slammed into traffic barrels on the northbound 610 Loop just before the Southwest Freeway exit.
The Grammy-winning performer, who friends and officials say was driving the bus, suffered life-threatening head injuries when he was thrown through the front windshield at 5 a.m. Sunday morning.
"For some reason, the driver lost control and hit the barrels," said Bellaire police Sgt. Daniel Kerr. "We don't know why yet."
Police aren't sure how fast the bus was travelling when it struck the freeway barrels — crushing the vehicle's front end and scattering debris, including concert posters, along the road. Part of the West Loop was closed for several hours while police investigated and cleared the wreckage.
Authorities transported Navaira, 45, to Memorial Hermann Hospital about 6:30 a.m. He was among eight people injured in the accident, including a passenger who was listed in critical condition, police said.
A blood test would be administered to the driver, but Kerr said there was no evidence at the scene indicating that alcohol was a factor.
The driver "may have gone to sleep," Kerr said.
Known simply as Emilio to his fans, Navaira and his band Rio performed Saturday night at Hallabaloo's in southeast Houston. He was scheduled to perform Friday at the San Jose Scottish Rite Center in California.
Concerned family members, friends and fans touted Navaira's critical role in increasing the popularity of Tejano music. They also recounted Navaira's generosity, including his work to raise about $1 million for a children's foundation since 1990.
"He would give the shirt off his back to help anybody," said Ben Arredondo, Navaira's former uncle.
Manuel Ponce, who drove to the scene after hearing reports of the accident, said he can't remember a time when he wasn't a fan of Navaira and his brand of music.
"He makes you have a good time. He makes you feel really comfortable," said Ponce, who last saw Navaira about a month ago. "We hope and pray that they're all right."
The San Antonio native has released a dozen albums in his career. He won a Grammy in 2003 for his album Acuerdate and was honored numerous times over the years by the Tejano Music Awards.
"It's sad — I just heard," said fan Jesus Gonzalez, who added that he considered Navaira a role model for Hispanics.
According to the band's Web site, Navaira was a self-taught musician who learned on a guitar that his father purchased at a pawn shop. He later majored in music at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, now called Texas State University.
His career gained prominence performing with other popular singers like Selena, who was shot and killed in 1995.
"He's one of the guys that's been able to blend Tejano and country successfully," said San Antonio-Express News music critic and author Ramiro Burr. "They were the King and Queen of Tejano — undisputed."
Navaira enjoyed cross-over success in the 1990s with a couple of chart-landing country music albums.
"It's the equivalent of coming up from the minor leagues to the major leagues," Burr said.
In the late 1990s, Navaira began to focus back on his core audience — the Tejano fans who made him a star.
"He's remained very successful. He's constantly touring," Burr said.
Grammy-winning, Houston-based Tejano band Avizo has performed with Navaira on several occasions. Band leader and trumpet player Robert Dorantes compared Navaira's legacy to that of Selena.
Navaira "helped shape Tejano music into what it is today," Dorantes said. "Since his days (singing) with David Lee Garza, Emilio has been an icon to Tejanos everywhere.
"We hope and pray Emilio comes out of this OK, and this should be a wake-up call to all musicians on the road," he said. "This could have happened to any one of us."
Chronicle staff writers Joey Guerra, Rosanna Ruiz and Anita Hassan contributed to this report.
mike.glenn@chron.com
Fiesta Musical Note: Our listeners may remember that Emilio helped to bring in 2008 in Topeka,KS when he performed as part of a charity dance to raise money for a local community center. Previously he participated in the KC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Fiesta In The Heartland and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Fiesta Mexicana in Topeka.
