Born in 1950 on the south side of San Antonio, Texas, a predominantly Latino neighborhood, Gomez's story isn't merely a tale of a man and his guitar; it's a narrative etched in the essence of the Chicano experience.

Gomez's story begins under the scorching Texas sun on a little league baseball field when he meets his future lifelong musical partner, Louie Ornelas. As Robert states, "at 5yrs old all we cared about was baseball - we wanted to be professional ball players. I was a Pitcher, and he was a Catcher." As the pair grew older, they traded baseball mitts for musical instruments while attending Burbank High School in 1964; Ornelas picked up the saxophone and formed the Chicano garage band, the Eptones, a raw but spirited ensemble. Under the influence of Ornelas, Gomez adopted the guitar and joined the band soon after.

Enter David Marez, Burbank's football star, who brought a singing prowess that elevated the Eptones' sound. By 1966, they had caught the ear of local record producer Abraham Epstein. Under Epstein's Jox label, the Eptones released their debut single - a Gomez original titled "Making Me Cry," a poignant lament inspired by the separation of Gomez's parents. Despite Gomez penning the lyrics, Marez's voice imbued life into them. The flip covered Rodgers Grant's "Sweet Tater Pie," inspired by Mongo Santamaria's version. The Eptones expanded their band in 1968, welcoming soul sensations Joe Jama and Fred Lozano into their rhythm section. Their second record on the Jox label included another Gomez-penned piece, "No One Else But You," an anthem of teenage heartache with Marez again leading the vocals. The flip side of the record, "A love That's Real," was sung by Joe, with David and Fred harmonizing and backing up Joe.

During this time, the band established a relationship with local luminaries, the Royal Jesters - a group founded by Henry Hernandez and Oscar Lawson. This led to opportunities to open for their mentors at the now legendary "Patio Andaluz," a venue the Jesters leased to host back-to-school dances, car club shows, and out-of-town groups. One day as Gomez recalls, "I was outside sweeping the venue, and Oscar calls me down to the studio to lay down some guitar on a few tracks and sing too. Next thing I know, they put out a record with my name on it - it was Oscar's sneaky way of getting me to open up." The tracks Robert recorded were an instrumental version of William Bell's "Private Number" featuring a rockin' guitar solo by him, and the other side was a sultry ballad titled "But That Was Then," a tune he co-wrote with Marez." The single was played on the KUKA - a local radio station that hosted the popular "Top Teen Tunes Show."

When the Eptones disbanded in 1970, Gomez joined Louie in Casino Royale, who later morphed into the "Stone Deaf Village Band," both of which cut records for Key-Loc, a label founded by Sunny Ozuna and Johnny Zaragosa, pillars of the brown-eyed soul scene. Robert eventually formed Turning Point with vocalist Ronnie Warner - a modern soul and funk outfit.

Today, Robert Gomez's guitar playing continues to reverberate throughout San Antonio. A testament to resilience and passion and the gritty determination of musicians like him, who play not for fame but for the love of the craft.