Jose Barrera (1876 – 1949) became famous as Wild West showman "Mexican Joe". Barrera was reportedly born in

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1876. In 1897,

Pawnee Bill Gordon William Lillie (February 14, 1860 – February 3, 1942), known professionally as Pawnee Bill, was an American showman and performer who specialized in Wild West shows and was known for his short partnership with William "Buffalo" Bill Co ...

's Wild West Show was the first to hire Jose as a performer. Only fifteen years old at the time, Jose was already an expert equestrian and roper. Because of his accomplished use of the

lariat A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

from horseback, Wild West shows billed him as the greatest trick roper in the world. He toured throughout the United States and Europe with Pawnee Bill, Buffalo Bill Cody, and the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Show. He and other performers executed the spectacular "Bailable a Caballo" in which riders and horses danced in pairs to the music of a twelve piece band. In 1905 Barrera married Effie Cole. Cole became a star in her own right. Her specialties was the High School Horse Act. The couple had three children, two who died in infancy and a daughter, Mary Louise Barrera. With their daughter, the Barreras lived and worked at the Pawnee Bill Ranch near Pawnee, Oklahoma for decades. Jose was the Pawnee Bill Ranch foreman, overseeing livestock and agricultural activities. He died of old age in

Pawnee, Oklahoma Pawnee (Pawnee: Paári, iow, Páñi Chína) is a city and county seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. The town is northeast of Stillwater at the junction of U.S. Route 64 and State Highway 18. It was named for the Pawnee tribe, wh ...

on November 17, 1949.

Song

The

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

' first big hit in 1953 was called ''

Mexican Joe Jose Barrera (1876 – 1949) became famous as Wild West showman "Mexican Joe". Barrera was reportedly born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1876. In 1897, Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show was the first to hire Jose as a performer. Only fifteen years old at the ...

''.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mexican Joe American stunt performers Mexican emigrants to the United States People from San Antonio Wild West shows 1876 births 1949 deaths