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The Juan Dela Cruz Band was one of the first rock and roll bands in the Philippines. In December 1970, the band was featured in the first open field rock festival in the Philippines, the Antipolo Rock Festival. The band's popularity gained momentum in September 1971 when it backed up the production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Then in December of the same year, the band garnered its crowning glory when again, for the first time in the Philippines, a rock group on its own, backed by a full symphony orchestra (the National Philharmonic) was presented in concert at the CCP. The band originally had six members: Wally Gonzales (guitars and vocals), Rene Segueco (organ and vocals), Clifford Ho (bass and vocal), Romy Santos (wind instruments), Bobot Guerrero (drums), and Sandy Tagarro (lead vocals). Sandy Tagarro left the band before the band's first album "Up in Arms" was released. Wally Gonzales, in an interview later credited Edmund "Bosyo" Fortuno of having coined the band's name though Bosyo's collaboration with the band wasn't until 1981 with Juan Dela Cruz Band's 6th Album in which he was the drummer along with Joey "Pepe" Smith.