For six decades, 81-year-old Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero has entertained lovers of Chicano music. Lalo says his love of music comes from his mother, Concepcion. (She gave birth to 27 children, only nine of whom survived.) Growing up in Tucson, Lalo envisioned himself the next Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby. He eventually made his way into the movies, where he played guitar and sang beside big screen stars Jane Russell, Robert Mitchum, George Raft, Gilbert Roland and cowboy crooner Gene Autrey. In 1995, Lalo won a Grammy for his work with the group Los Lobos. When he's not on the road, he's home in the desert community of Cathedral City, near Palm Springs. We first met Lalo sandwiched between the food vendors and the souvenir stands during late April's Fiesta Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. You would think that after decades of singing and starring in Hollywood movies, that this Grammy award-winning artist would want to hang up his guitar and live a life of leisure. But this is a man on a mission, traveling the California fair circuit, visiting schools and even airports to spread an important message. His is a musical message encouraging people not to bring foreign produce and other food products into the United States, especially into California -- fruits and vegetables like those seized every day at our borders and at airports. It's thought that the destructive citrus chancre and the Mediterranean fruit fly hitched a ride on a piece of fruit hidden in someone's luggage. Foreign plant diseases and pests can destroy California crops, causing billions of dollars in damage. Lalo sings in Spanish about many things. After all, he has been dubbed the "Father of Chicano music." He now wants to encourage his Latino compadres to avoid bringing in citrus fruit, mangos, and anything else that might harbor disease or insects. After all, says Lalo, not only do people lose jobs when crops are damaged, but "prices go up immediately when there are infestations." We asked Lalo to play the Medfly song for us. In Spanish, it starts like this, "Aqui les vengo a cantar, no de la mosca casera." Translated, it means, "I'm here not to sing about the housefly, but about the Medfly." You can hear Lalo's anti-pest message at various locations throughout the summer and fall, including Mexican Independence Day celebrations in September. Along with entertaining the crowds with his music and good humor, he'll sign posters. For a schedule of events featuring Lalo, go to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Web site at www.cdfa.ca.gov/events. If you have questions or comments about this story, E-mail Senior Producer Corita Gravitt at corita.gravitt@mailexcite.com.