Remembering Big Brother Ernie Joseph

Ernest Joseph Orosco
December 15, 19
November 3, 2021

Aside from his modesty, his character, his compassion, his work ethic, and his dedication to his music and goal of being a great guitar player, what I remember most about my brother Ernie is that he was a born leader.

Ernie once told me a story, about how at the age of 11 he joined Boy Scouts Troop 7. It was an all Black troop and Ernie was the new kid joining them.

After a scout meeting, when it came to a friendly game of football, Ernie was asked what position he played. He answered, “I'm a quarterback”. After throwing a few long completed passes, that same person came up and said to him with wide open eyes, “Oh, you ARE a quarterback!”

That's how Ernie lived his life. He was a natural born leader. He was always a quarterback in the longest game he ever played.

Then one day, dad invited Ernie to a Santa Barbara Dons football game. After that fateful day, football became one of Ernie's passions. At a very young age he played Boy's Club football with the older kids. He played baseball as a catcher with the older kids, and I remember he ran track in the summer invitational meets at La Playa Stadium. It wasn't long until his dresser was covered with all the trophies and ribbons he had won.

Ernie saw sports as an adventure. And from playing sports he learned the values of hard work and playing as a team. From that time on, that's how Ernie lived his life. For Ernie, life was an adventure, and he loved the challenges of the unknown. Ernie was a leader. He was adventuresome, fearless, bold, and eager to explore. He knew no boundaries, and he taught Cory and I, his brothers, these same traits and values.

And sports wasn't the only thing Dad taught Ernie. Dad played guitar in his own band and mom sang with him. At the age of 10 Ernie got his first guitar. Then came Elvis. Ernie was inspired, and he did his first show in front of Brownies Market, the neighborhood “mom and pop” store. It was his best friend Bobby Brown who coaxed the shy Ernie into singing “Hound Dog” at the entrance of the store.

Being the organizer he was, Ernie, still only 10, recruited his brothers and friends to form a band. Our first paying gig was playing on State Street during Old Spanish Days Fiesta. We set up and played in front of a used furniture store. The owner of the store put out a big tip jar and it filled up fast. We thought, “Wow, this is great”.

As fate would have it, at Santa Barbara Jr. High, Ernie met two of the best musical prodigies that ever came out of Santa Barbara. It was drummer Randy Busby and guitar player extraordinaire, Ray Estrada, who later became know as the group War's “The Cisco Kid”. We all shared the same dream. We influenced each other as we discovered and shared the magic of Rock and Roll. It was an exciting time and a new era for everyone.

It wasn't long before we played dances as Ernie & the Emperors. Ernie set the pace, we kept working hard, and doors kept opening. We eventually got signed with the majors. We did college tours with Wolfman Jack, and played everywhere. We were signed by Reprise Records and released "Meet Me At The Corner", a 45 that received lots of airplay.

The Vietnam War changed everything. Brother Cory was in the Marines. I was in school, and Big Brother Ernie Joseph went out on the road on his own. Ernie re-located to Atlanta and became part of the regional Southern Rock scene. He ventured on his own without us, but later we were re-united to join him, and we kept working hard as Ernie continued to set the pace.

Fast forward to the present year. Ernie got sick and we canceled all our shows. Our last performance was at Grapes and Hops on Main Street in Ventura on September 24^th of this year.

Ernie was a true leader and he was a team player who shared his dream with as many people and close friends as he could.

Our parents taught us the value and importance of family. Ernie lived his life treating others as family. He was a good listener with a big heart, and he was everybody's big brother. That's who he was and that's how he will be remembered. As “Big Brother Ernie Joseph”, a big brother to all who knew him.

In retrospect, I'm not the only one who lost a brother. Ernie gave so much of himself to his music and to all his friends and family. He will be missed.

Let us celebrate the memory of his life as we all knew and loved him.

Brian Faith

KEYT article