Rocking down memory lane: Coliseum Rock Concerts
Jan 17, 2025
Corpus Christi was a major hub for Rock N Roll bands in the 70s and 80s. Filling up venues like the Coliseum and The Ritz Theater.RUSH was put on the map because of Corpus Christi and San Antonio, and if you watch their documentary, they will say that these places, we would go there, and they would go nuts, said Jaime Zamora, former KRIS6 photographer. Zamora took hundreds of photographs of artists who would sell out shows in Corpus Christi. This pastime would then become a hobby, which would turn into a long-term career as a television photographer.Starting his career in Corpus Christi with KRIS6 and KZTV, he would move to Austin and then ABC 13 in Houston.One of his most famous pictures is of guitarist Randy Rhodes, who would die at the age of 25 in a plane crash.Rhodes helped Ozzy Osbourne write his first two albums and one of the most popular songs of the 1980s Crazy Train.I went there that night to see Ozzy Osbourne; everybody knew who Ozzy was. Randy was kind of new on the scene we had heard him on the album, said Zamora. Describing how he was able to take the famous picture.I think at some point he realized I was there with a camera and I don't think it bothered him at all. In fact I think he was posing for me on some of those photos, in fact he is looking straight at me in a couple of them, said Zamora.Zamora took out the roll of pictures that were stored in his closet for years after the Caller-Times requested for people with memories of the Coliseum to share it with them. After the venue shut down in 2010.By pulling them out and sharing them with the Caller-Times, it just opened up this whole new world where I'm still coming to Corpus 45 years later and showing these photos off, said Zamora.Zamora able to take pictures of several bands including, RUSH, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne and more. People are getting memories that are rushing back from all these fun times and that is worth the drive down forsure.You can purchase some of these concert photos by contacting Zamora via Facebook.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.