"Ruben Ramos has developed a solid reputation as one of the smoothest singers and classiest bandleaders in the history of the genre."
Ramiro Burr-The Billboard Guide to Tejano and Regional Mexican Music
Meanwhile, Ruben's father, Alfonso Ramos Sr., worked the cotton fields and the railroads; he also played the fiddle while his mother, Elvira Perez, played the guitar at family gatherings. At the end of World War II, Ruben's uncles returned to take up the legacy. Uncle Justin re-formed the band as Justin Perez and His Ex-GIs. In a few years, they had established themselves as topnotch, big-band orchestra in the 1940s, complete with sit-down horns, music stands, dark suits and ties, and a sound consistent with the times. This was the beginning of the end for any regular day-job for Ruben and his five siblings! When Inez, Elijio, Alfonso, Ruben, Joe and Roy came along, picking cotton was the way of the world - help the family, pay the bills - but the musical legacy would not wait long. These kids had "talento".