Immigrant Song: Global Music in Oakland

Oakland is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the entire county. The Town’s proud history of diversity is one of the things that makes it so special. At a time of heightened xenophobia in this country, a time when our families, friends and neighbors are being racially profiled and targeted by our own government, we must remember that it is this diversity that makes us strong, that our immigrant heritage helps make Oakland the place that we love.

In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month 2026, the Magazines & Newspapers Department at the Oakland Public Library has put together a zine documenting Oakland’s incredible history of international music - from mariachi to Cuban son, afro-beat to modern classical. Musicians from all over the world have come to find community and home here in Oakland and we offer this humble zine as a tribute to that legacy.

You can pick up a copy in the Magazines & Newspapers Room on the 2nd Floor of the Main Library but keep reading for a sample of what you'll find in there. 

Guadalupe (G.) Carlos was born in Mexico and came to West Oakland in the 1920s. A shipyard worker, Carlos promoted shows across town, including the Sunday afternoon shows (known as “Tardeadas Mexicanas”) at Sweet’s Ballroom, which he started in 1932 and hosted for decades. Sweet's Ballroom was located at 1414 Franklin St. just down the street from the Main Library and Carlos hosted absolute legends of Latin America there, including Perez Prado and Pedro Infante, as well as local musicians like Don Gallegos. You can read more about G. Carlos at the Oakland Wiki here.

Hamza El Din (1929-2006) was a Nubian vocalist, oud and tar player. He came to New York City in the early 1960s where he lived and recorded with Sandy Bull. El Din then moved to the Bay Area, eventually settling in Oakland. In 1978 El Din played with the Grateful Dead in a series of concerts at the Great Pyramids at Giza, and for decades he could be seen regularly in concert across the Bay Area. For the uninitiated, this librarian recommends you start with 1978’s Eclipse – engineered by the Dead’s Mickey Hart – but you really can’t go wrong with anything from El Din’s extensive catalog.

Guitarist and composer Guillermo Cespedes was just a child when he left his native Cuba in 1963 as part of Operation Peter Pan. In Oakland in 1981 he reunited with his aunt and uncle, Bobi and Luis, and cousin Miguel, and together they formed Conjunto Cespedes. They performed new, original compositions in the Cuban son form, and played regularly at local venues like Berkeley’s La Peña Cultural Center—where Guillermo also worked.

If these clippings pique your interest, please do stop by the Magazines & Newspapers Room to pick up a copy of our Immigrant Heritage Month 2026 zine, Immigrant Song: Global Music In Oakland 1944-2006. Thanks for reading and keep the music alive!