Cruz delivers joy in St. Ann performances

Edgar Cruz strums the familiar beginning chords to “Sweet Caroline” and hands immediately thrust into the air, swaying side to side with the music.

It’s a full house for Cruz, an accomplished guitarist from Oklahoma City, and both the men and women in the room at Saint Ann Assisted and Independent Loving are engrossed in what is a regular, monthly appearance by the popular performer.

“I love playing,” said Cruz, who plays more than 300 dates a year, mostly across the metro area. “You put me in front of anybody and I’m going to really enjoy it.

“What I’ve learned with these seniors is that they really appreciate it. Of all the gigs that I do, I think the highest appreciation comes from those in their elderly years, which in turn just makes it better for me, because I want to give them as much as I can.”

Cruz doesn’t just play retirement centers, he plays music venues, breweries and restaurants, and private gigs, too. He’s played throughout the U.S., as well as in Europe and South America.

And he’s a regular at Saint Ann, which fills nearly every day with activities for its residents. There are senior-focused workouts, movies, arts and crafts, visits from therapy dogs and games like bingo and puzzles. There are coffee and soda socials and trips to Walmart and more. There are other entertainers, too.

And there is Mass daily and Rosary five days a week, as well as all-denominational services.

For Cruz, playing for the elderly, especially at Saint Ann, involves a deeper meaning. He first started playing there when his mother, Joann, lived at the facility over a span of three years before her death.

“She loved it,” Cruz said with a beaming smile. “She got to brag a little to her friends there. ‘Yeah, it’s my son.’ It was great.”

And it’s still great for the Saint Ann residents who file in once a month on Wednesdays to hear Cruz play everything from the Beatles to Johnny Cash to his own music, some of it all found on 19 CDs and two award-winning DVDs.

“He’s really good,” said resident Jeanne Kendrick. “What’s really nice, he asks us a lot of times if we have requests. One of the ones I like the most is ‘We are the Champions.’ And he has medleys he plays. He’s just really entertaining.”

Cruz holds a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance from Oklahoma City University and was also honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the school in 2010.  He was also added to the Hispanic Exhibit at The Oklahoma History Center. His YouTube video of “Bohemian Rhapsody” has over 20 million views worldwide.

One of the things that sets Cruz apart is his style. He estimates that he’s among 1% of “fingerstyle” guitarists in the world, meaning he doesn’t use a pick. Still, he plays an array of songs, classical standards to hard rock, working the guitar gently at times, with fury other times.

One favorite which Cruz doesn’t play often, usually requiring a request: “Ave Maria.”

The beautiful Catholic hymn was a favorite of his mother and one familiar from their days attending The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City. The family, including six kids, would attend Mass, then head to El Charrito, where father Manuel had been a manager.

“Those are some of my best memories growing up as a kid,” Cruz said.

Music filled the Cruz house on 28th Street, near Northwest Classen High School. While the music of the time, now referred to as “Classic Rock,” was prominent, so were the sounds of Manuel, a mariachi musician who also played guitar and carried an appreciation of several genres. And it was the father’s influence that helped shape the playing of Edgar and his brother Mark, also a noted guitarist and a professor in the School of Music at Texas State University.

“Dad was a huge part of my repertoire,” Edgar said.

And the repertoire is huge.

In the performance at Saint Ann, he played a variety of songs and styles, including Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” The Eagles’ “Hotel California” and, of course, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” as well as an extended medley of songs from the Beatles, a personal favorite.

When the show was over, he warmly greeted several residents who approached him on stage, smiling and thanking them for coming, inviting them back next time.

“People here, if they have friends who are coming, they’ll say, ‘Oh, come this day and see Edgar Cruz,’” Kendrick said. “And when they come, they are amazed.”

John Helsley is editor of the Sooner Catholic.

Photo: Edgar Cruz. Photo Avery Holt/Sooner Catholic.