The Music of Mexico
Friday, 09 April 2010 08:10
Mexico is world-renowned for its strong musical background. But when a person usually thinks of Mexican music, they think of mariachis. However, the country has a very diverse music scene and there are many artists that you may have never heard before.
Below are a few examples of great Mexican artists and musicians that shape the music of the country.
Simply put, Vicente Fernandez is the Garth Brooks of ranchera music. He is a Mexican cultural icon. Fernandez has two of the most famous mariachi tunes - “Volver,Volver” and “El Rey” - that can be heard for miles at one of any Mexican family reunions.
Vicente Fernandez - Volver, Volver
It’s not very often that you come across an artist so skilled with an instrument that they name a model of the instrument after him. But Ayala indeed does have his own brand of accordion. This widely-known Mexican singer is famous for his hits “Un Rinconcito En El Cielo” and “Tragos Amargos” – the latter has a chorus that is sung very loudly in bars throughout Mexico and parts of the southwestern and western United States.
An example of Tragos Amargos being sung at a bar
Molotov is in a totally different type of genre that most don’t associate with Mexico. However, Molotov is one of the more popular rap-rock bands in both Mexico and the southwestern United States. Their explicit and politically-inspired lyrics make them a favorite to young adults.
Molotov - Frijolero (warning, explicit lyrics)
Selena Quintanilla-Perez was tragically murdered in 1995, and her story was brought to mainstream America in the 1997 film Selena. Her hits included “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido,” but it was the songs “I Could Fall in Love” and “Dreaming of You” that broke her into the American mainstream radiowaves.
Founded by Selena’s brother, Abraham Quintanilla III, the Corpus Christi, Texas band has recorded such cumbia hits as “Chiquilla,” which reached No. 7 on the Hot Latin Tracks of the Billboard charts. Though the band was formed in 2006, they still have reached mainstream Mexico in that short amount of time.
Arjona was born in Guatemala and won two Grammy Awards in 2007 for his album titled Adentro. His music can be described as more of a classical style, as he incorporates his impeccable guitar-playing skills in almost every one of his songs.
This norteño band was formed in Zapata, Texas in 1993 and has won a Grammy for their work. The band recorded a duo with Arjona in the song Mojado that can be heard above. One of their most popular songs, Por Ella, is also one of my favorites.
One of my favorite types of music is “banda” music, and Valentin Elizalde and his band provided some of Mexico’s best banda hits until his untimely death in 2006. The banda genre can be categorized as having a lot of brass and percussion.
Valentin Elizalde - Te Quiero Asi
El Coyote y Su Banda Tierra Santa provides much of the same banda sound, and the group’s lead singer, Jose Angel Ledesma Quintero, was good friends with Valentin Elizalde.
Arguable the most famous Mexican ensemble, the group was formed in the 1960s, and has been selling out venues in both Mexico and the United States for four decades. Lead singer Jorge Hernandez formed the group with his brothers and cousins, and has the band has won five Latin Grammys and sold over 32 million records.
Los Tigres del Norte - Jefe de Jefes
As George Lopez put it in his HBO special, America’s Mexican, mariachi music is the heart and blood of the Mexican people. From the most world-renowned mariachi ensembles like Mariachi Vargas to your local three-man mariachi at any Mexican restaurant in town, almost everyone on or near the border knows these tunes.
Mariachi Music - Viva Mexico and La Negra
Written by Mateo Lorenzo Alvarez You are reading The Music of Mexico articles
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