Henry Gonzalez

Henry Gonzalez was born August 6, 1950, in Brownsville, Texas to a large and loving Latino family who have been residents of Tejas since before the US stole the territory from Mexico.  Growing up in Brownsville and Corpus Christi, Henry arrived in Austin after he attended several of Texas' finest state schools.  He was an integral part of the Austin music scene, working at The Armadillo World Headquarters, the Austin Opera House and later touring and working for several national and local bands. He was an artist, stage hand, stage manager and mentor to the next generation. He recognized early on the importance of Austin's music culture and, in 2004, Henry was part of the founding group of the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture.  He spent the rest of his life as the driving force of that organization.

Henry was part of the original Armadillo Art Squad, creating posters, handbills and print ads throughout his duration at the Armadillo. After the club closed, Henry spent time as the stage manager for the Austin Opera House and for the AFM free concert series.

He continued to create artwork and worked in a production capacity on the road with touring bands until 2004 when SouthPop was founded. As facility manager, he oversaw the building and the hanging of exhibits.  He doubled as exhibit guide. Perhaps his greatest legacy is the Memorial Wall  at SouthPop that includes photographs of people who have had an impact on Austin culture and have passed away. The project culminates each October 30th with a Dia De Los Muertos celebration at the Center.
Henry died on February 29, 2016 after an intense 16 month battle against cancer.