AUSTIN, TX  [Friday May.21.2004]  /WMQT.com/ -- The Garza brothers of Texas are Los Lonely Boys. And just as Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan and Yoda, the brothers have a couple mentors, too.

For starters, there's their musician dad, Ringo Garza, Sr, who played with his seven brothers in a family conjunto group, The Falcones. Explains 26-year-old Henry Garza on the band's web site, "We learned from him at home at first. He would let us come to gigs and watch him; then when we got older he let us come up and sing a song with him. We listened to our dad more than the radio. [He] was our biggest influence."

Surrounded by music, Henry and his brothers, JoJo (25) and Ringo, Jr. (22), started playing instruments and singing when they were children and became their father's backing band in their pre-teens. Eventually, they branched out on their own to form Los Lonely Boys.

The group caught the attention of fellow Texan and musical great Willie Nelson several years ago, when he heard the band play one night in Austin. Since then Nelson's been a big supporter. He offered his studio to Los Lonely Boys to record their album, and he plays guitar on one song from their self-titled debut album. He even asked the trio to open for him on tour.

USA Today asked the Garzas about their connection with Nelson, and JoJo replied, "He opened a lot of doors for us, man." Ringo added, "He's like Yoda."

You can catch Los Lonely Boys on "Willie Nelson's Outlaws and Angels" special, airing May 31 on the USA Network. Check local listings for details.

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