Russ Giguere - Rosarita Beach Café (1971)

Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1943, Russ Giguere moved to California with the intentions of making it as a folksinger. Having not yet received a record deal, he was happy to accept the guitarist position offered to him by Terry Kirkman and Jules Alexander, the two eventual co-founders of the band that would become The Association. As a member of The Association, Giguere experienced three number one hits, “Cherish,” “Windy,” and “Never My Love,” as well as numerous other charting hits. In 1971, he decided to part ways with The Association in an attempt to make it as a solo artist. In that same year, he released his one and only solo album, Hexagram 16, on the Warner Bros. label. His solo accomplishments didn’t reach the same regard as those with The Association, so Giguere rejoined when the band reformed together in 1979. These days, Giguere continues performing with the latest lineup of The Association.

Released on Giguere’s Hexagram 16 album, this song appeared as the opening track on the back half of the album. The album was named after a passage in I Ching and featured numerous guest appearances, including Jerry Yester, Larry Knechtel, Bobby Womack, and others. This song, as well as the rest of the album, didn’t make a dent in the charts. Perhaps it was because Giguere’s solo songs didn’t have the same harmonies as his fans came to expect from his time in The Association. Or perhaps it was because they weren’t that good.



Russ Giguere - Rosarita Beach Café (1971)

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Lyrics:

Tennessee sour mash whiskey on my breath
Rosalie, Susie, and Lucy on my mind
I drove my old car down
The dusty streets of this old border town
I didn’t know I'd get stuck such a long, long time

It was one of those hot, dry, dime-a-dozen down along the Baja days
I fell through the door of the Rosarita Beach Café
I got myself a table with a view of the breakers in the bay
Ice-cold Dos Equis on the way

I got a million dollar bill
And they can't change it
And they won't let me leave until my tab is paid
So I might as well settle down
And buy the house another round
I’m a permanent guest of the Rosarita Beach Café

Well, I got a real nice table with a view of the breakers in the bay
I sit here; I drink myself into a daze
I soon fell in with thugs and thieves
And gamblers from the beach
Well the devil himself, he offered all-night game
But the night wind came along
Like a dark-eyed señorita's song
Blew my straight flush out across the waves

I've got a million dollar bill
And they can't change it
And they won't let me leave until my tab is paid
So, I might as well settle down
Yeah, and buy the town another round
I’m the permanent guest ‘round the Rosarita Beach Café

With a bottle and a table at the Rosarita Beach Café