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Ralph Arias: Music, family filled his life

Ralph Arias: Music, family filled his life


Posted by admin Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 08:54
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Drummer Ralph Arias — a familiar face on the Bakersfield music scene for many years — was laid to rest on Monday, July 23, 2007 - but not without a proper musical farewell.

Arias died suddenly from a stroke July 17 in Bakersfield at the age of 63.

Fondly remembered as a wonderful father, husband and bandmate, Arias’ impact on those who knew him well went beyond the traditional memorial service held at Bakersfield’s San Clemente Church, where Arias was also a member.

“The memorial mass was so overwhelming, he filled the church,” said Arias’ wife, Sylvia of the response to news of her husband’s death. “He was such a great person and loved by so many people.”

As the sad news spread, so did the wonderful memories shared by some of Arias’ closest friends, many of whom have remained to this day in the same neighborhood they all grew up in — east Bakersfield.

Luz Gonzalez, bandleader for local band Feliz and for whom Arias played drums for years, remembers his late childhood friend as an honorable man, who loved his family and friends.

“He had a very nice personality,” said Gonzalez. “You’d never see him mad. He was always happy and joking around — a wonderful person.”

Known as a skilled drummer who always took his music seriously, Arias performing for family gatherings and inviting the neighborhood over was a regular occurrence, according to Gonzalez.

“We would always have house parties. We’d always play and always invited each other’s families over. Ralph used to invite us to play for his wife and kids’ party,” he said.

Sylvia Arias affectionately recalled her first romantic encounter with Ralph as teenagers attending East Bakersfield High School.

“I remember the year he graduated, he wanted me to sign his yearbook, and we never forgot each other. It was 1962, I was a junior when he was a senior,” she said. “We ended up meeting again on a blind date together with some mutual friends at Beach Park.”

The couple would eventually wed.

“He always respected me,” said Sylvia Arias. “He was a family man. Everything was about family. He loved his family, and his second love was his music.”

Gathering at a local hall for a celebration of Arias’ life after the funeral Monday, people from the drummer’s extended music family all came together one last time to pay tribute to their friend with mariachi music and a jam session featuring fellow musicians.

“The hall was packed. He was a great friend to a lot of people,” said Gonzalez.

In addition to his wife, Arias is survived by four children, Amanda Allen, Daniel Arias, Becky Quintero and Justin Arias, and 11 grandchildren.

 

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