Roy Estrada aka Orejon

Roy was an original member of The Soul Giants, the band that recruited a Frank Zappa as guitarist and consequently mutated into The Mothers of Invention. He then teamed up with Lowell George and formed Little Feat, although he does appear on several albums during the 70’s playing bass on tracks here and there.

He was recruited into the Magic Band to supplement Rockette Morton’s bass playing and to allow Rockette to play guitar for live shows. Roy toured the US and Europe with the Magic Band in 1972 and 1973 providing an unmoving, brooding and solid presence. He played on The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot albums. However, he was on an earlier Beefheart album when he inadvertantly contributed to ‘Trout Mask Replica’ via his bass playing on the Mothers’ track, ‘Charles Ives’, used by Zappa on the recording of ‘The Blimp’.

The Beefheart stage name, Orejon, apparently means’ big ears’ and has often been misheard and written as ‘Audi Horn’.

Roy’s musical career has been very thin on the ground since the 70’s although he has more recently found work alongside other ex-Mothers on their solo, Grandmothers or Zappa tribute projects. He appeared at the 2002 Zappanale and performed with the Grandmothers West; and found the time to record an album with Jimmy Carl Black.

Having spent time in prison in 1994 for sexual abuse of a child, in 2012 he was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for similar offences committed over a period of time. He will not be eligible for parole.

Magic Band Albums

Roy Estrada & The Rocketeers

  • 1960 US 7″ Jungle Dreams Parts 1 & 2 King Records 45-5368

Jimmy Carl Black & Roy Estrada

  • 2002 Midnight Hamburger BEP on Inkanish Records

Mothers of Invention

  • 1967 Freak Out
  • 1967 Absolutely Freak Out
  • 1968 We’re Only In It For The Money
  • 1968 Lumpy Gravy
  • 1968 Cruising With Reuben & The Jets
  • 1969 Uncle Meat
  • 1969 Mothermania- The Best of the Mothers
  • 1970 Burnt Weeny Sandwich
  • 1970 Weasals Ripped My Flesh
  • 1976 Zoot Allures
  • 1981 Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar
  • 1982 Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
  • 1983 The Man From Utopia
  • 1983 Baby Snakes
  • 1984 Them or Us
  • 1984 Thing Fish
  • 1988 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, vol. 1
  • 1989 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, vol. 3
  • 1991 The Ark
  • 1991 ‘Tis The Season To Be Jelly
  • 1991 Electric Aunt Jemima
  • 1991 Our Man In Nirvana
  • 1992 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, vol. 5
  • 1992 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, vol. 6
  • 1993 Ahead Of their Time
  • 1994 Civilization Phaze III
  • 1995 Strictly Commercial
  • 1996 The Lost Episodes
  • 1996 Lather
  • 1997 Have I Offended Someone?
  • 1997 Strictly Genteel
  • 1996 Frank Zappa Plays The Music of Frank Zappa
  • 1998 Mystery Disc
  • 1998 Cheap Thrills
  • 1999 Son of Cheap Thrills
  • 2002 FZ:Oz

The GTOs

  • 1969 Permanent Damage

Ivan Ulz

  • 1970 Ivan the Ice Cream Man

Ry Cooder

  • 1970 Ry Cooder

Leo Kottke

  • 1971 Mudlark

Little Feat

Roy contributes bass and vocals on the following Little Feat albums.

  • 1971 Little Feat
  • 1972 Sailin’ Shoes
  • 1981 Hoy Hoy
  • 2000 Hotcakes & Outtakes: 30 Years Of Little Feat

Nolan

  • 1972 Vinyl No Apologies on Lizard Records
  • 1996 CD No Apologies

This album also includes contributions from Jimmy Carl Black and Lowell George.

Van Dyke Parks

  • 1972 Discover America

Howdy Moon

  • 1974 Howdy Moon Guitar

Grandmothers

  • 1994 Who Could Imagine

Don Preston

  • 1994 Vile Foamy Ectoplasm

Ant Bee

  • 1994 With My Favorite “Vegetables” & Other Bizarre Muzik
  • 1997 Lunar Muzik

Sandro Oliva

  • 1995 Who The Fuck is Sandro Oliva!?

Help us out

If anyone is able to complete or update any of the information above, then please do get in touch.

1 Comment

  1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that Roy Estrada only played on one Beefheart album (Clear Spot), not all three listed here.

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