By the time I was four-years-old, I had already read The Iliad, he says matter of factly.
He then gestures to a bear-skull dipped in silver, resting on an old piano.
I made that too, he says, and the piano is from the set of Gunsmoke.
Patrick Grego
I sleep well, I read well, I enjoy life well, he offers.
And, all the while, I lived in the galaxy.
Cuevas is an eccentric man of mystery, with many talents and secrets.
Patrick Grego
The list goes on and then rolls off the table.
I figured I’d better get the best country suit money could buy at that time, he says.
Once, the designer sent Johnny Cash nine black suits to wear on tour.
Patrick Grego
The looks helped solidify Cashs persona as The Man In Black.
Manuel brought a rock and roll sensibility to the whole traditional cowboy industry, says Marty Stuart.
The costumes that were designed and crafted by Manuel and his team are unparalleled.
Patrick Grego
The integrity of the work and the handwork is beyond comparison.
Its a language unto itself, Stuart says.
When Cuevas was 8 years old, he built 25 shoeboxes and rented them to his peers.
Sam Williams wearing custom Manuel Cuevas.
An entrepreneurial spirit was sparked, though it ran in the family.
Cuevas decided to purchase popcorn machines and hired women to sell the snack around Michoacan.
(I ask if this occurred when Cuevas was a teenager.
Patrick Grego
No, this is when I was an adult, he says, smiling, I was 11.)
And they were beautifuleven people who hated popcorn would buy it.
I wanted to be good at everything I did from an early age, he says.
Patrick Grego
I never wanted to be half-ass at anything, and my siblings hated me for it.
They all wanted dresses made by Manuel, Cuevas says of the young women in his hometown.
They bought them anyway.
Patrick Grego
The two have been friends since the 90s.
The world is full of life, Cuevas says as we make our way to the door.
Outside musicians are strumming guitars and neighbors and family are singing karaoke.
The next morning, Cuevas woke up around 8 a.m.
Lets go eat breakfast at La Fogata, he says.
Someone notices Cuevaswhich happens often when he goes outand says hello, noting his local legend status.
So you think Im a legend?
Artists dont make money like they used to, he says, a full fork in hand.
Authentic Mexican food is like authentic country music, its hard to come by these days.
The conversation continues back at Cuevass house.
In 1950, Cuevas moved to Baja California, and in 1952 he settled in Los Angeles.
He immediately started working with Sy Devore, the tailor famous for outfitting Hollywoods Rat Pack.
But Cuevas soon became tired of making boring suits and tuxedos.
Cuevas designed clothes for generations of the Williams family, including Hank Williams Jr., Sams father.
He was very thin and very masculine.
His vibrant, distinctive designs helped redefine the image of masculinity in country music.
19-year-old Mexican-American artist Ivan Cornejo, who wore one of Cuevass designs earlier this year, agrees.
And that’s how I feltunique in my style.
In 1975, Cuevas opened his own boutique on Lankershim Blvd.
in Los Angeles, and brought in clients Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt.
He could see beyond what you were, and see who youreallywere, Stuart tells me.
In 1988, Cuevas moved to Tennessee.
Hes both brash and lovable, sweet and salty.
Cuevas once wrote a memoir about his life, but he burned it because it wasnt what he envisioned.
He is about to start writing draft number two.
Bull horns from Bonanza hang on the mantle.
I did that show for 14 years, he says laughing.
So when those guys got fired, I got all this crap.
He likes to joke about all that hes experienced.
Im on my fifth wife, he says.
Wasted time is never really wasted time.
Of course, I say.
Years ago, Manuel Cuevas was traveling and waiting for a connecting flight in an airport.
He used to sew a red cross on his sleeve, Tomas says.
Cuevas looked up from his magazine and said, You better fuckin believe it.
