Latinos in U.S. Popular Music
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Snapshots & Collections of American Sabor: Musicians
Snapshots/Collections Feature:
Snapshots & Collections Feature
Chano and Dizzy: Cubop
Jazz innovator Dizzy Gillespie loved Cuban music. On the advice of fellow musician Mario Bauz...
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Credit: Courtesy Frank Driggs Collection
Fania All Stars
Tico was the most prestigious Latin music label in New York in the 1950s, but smaller labels were...
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Credit: Courtesy Izzy Sanabria
Tower of Power
Tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo put together a funky, highly disciplined horn section to create...
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Credit: Courtesy the Estate of Bruce Steinberg
Machito
Machito and His Afro-Cubans Band, rocked the Palladium with an exciting combination of Cuban rhythms and...
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Credit: Courtesy of Johan Kugelberg
Arsenio Rodríguez
An early pioneer of the mambo was the blind tres player Arsenio Rodríguez, who expanded the Cuban...
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Credit: Unknown
Mario Bauzá
In 1941 Mario Bauza left Cab Calloway’s band to work as an arranger for his brother-in-law,...
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Credit: Unknown
Mongo Santamaría
Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría moved from Cuba to the United States in 1950. His...
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Credit: Unknown
Tito Puente
Born in 1923 in New York, Puerto Rican musician Tito Puente began arranging for and directing his own...
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Credit: Courtesy Frank Driggs Collection
Tito Rodríguez
Born in Puerto Rico, Tito Rodríguez became one of New York’s premier bandleaders in the...
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Credit: Unknown
Joe Cuba
The sextet of Puerto Rican percussionist Joe Cuba outplayed bands twice its size, playing pachanga and...
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Credit: Unknown
Eddie Palmieri
In the early 1960s Eddie Palmieri’s band, La Perfecta, modernized the Cuban charanga sound with...
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Credit: Unknown
Pérez Prado
Damaso Perez Prado moved from Cuba to Mexico City in 1948 and popularized the mambo internationally...
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Credit: Unknown
Rubén Blades
Panamanian singer Rubén Blades is one of salsa music’s greatest poets. His album Siembra,...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Celia Cruz
In 1959, the year of Castro’s revolution, Celia Cruz left Cuba to tour with the Sonora Matancera...
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Credit: Courtesy of The Latin Recording Academy
Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe
Collaborations between singers Willie Colón (left) and Héctor Lavoe (right) produced...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Charlie Chase
The Cold Crush Brothers rapped to the beats of Puerto Rican DJ Charlie Chase....
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Joe Bataan
Latin soul pioneer Joe Bataan was born in the Bronx to Filipino and African American parents. His 1979...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Daddy Yankee
Daddy Yankee—straight out of Puerto Rico— introduced reggaetón to new U.S. audiences...
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Credit: Courtesy of Getty Images
Luny Tunes
Born in the Dominican Republic, Francisco Saldana and Victor Cabrera spent their teen years in Boston,...
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Credit: Courtesy of The Latin Recording Academy
Santana’s Mariachi
José Santana (center, third from left) taught his son Carlos (forth from left) to play the...
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Credit: Courtesy of the Santana Family
Malo Album Cover
Malo’s Latin rock anthem, Suavecito, charted at Number 18 in 1972. It was co-written and sung by...
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Credit: Unknown
Joan Baez
When her family moved to northern California, legendary folk-singer Joan Baez experienced racial...
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Credit: Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Shelia E.
Pop star and granddaughter of a musical Mexican immigrant worker, Sheila E. picked up the drumsticks...
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Credit: Rob Shanahan
Santana
The band Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a pioneering sound that fused...
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Credit: Chad Patka
Mongo Santamaría's Hands
Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría established...
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Credit: Herman Leonard Photography
Los Tigres del Norte
A family band who immigrated to San Jose in 1968, Los Tigres del Norte are famous for story-telling...
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Credit: Courtesy of Carol Peterson
Michael Carabello
As a teenager, Mike Carabello played baseball and hung out with drummers at Aquatic Park. When he...
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Credit: Unknown
Escovedos
Brothers Pete and Coke Escovedo founded Azteca, an influential Oakland band that brought together Latin...
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Credit: Unknown
Cal Tjader
Cal Tjader Quintet, Featuring Armando Peraza, at The Penthouse, Seattle, WA, May 3-15, [early 1960s]...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Charlie & The Jives
In the 1960s young Chicanos on San Antonio's west side shared musical ideas with African Americans...
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Credit: Courtesy of Ruben Molina
The Royal Jesters
Although they had little national success, the Royal Jesters is the group most loved by San Antonians...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Freddy Fender
Born Baldemar Huerta, this Texan musician borrowed the name "Fender" from his guitar. In...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Selena Quintanilla
Selena Quintanilla was Tejano music’s biggest star. Her recordings—which included polkas,...
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Credit: Arlene Richie , Getty Images
Sam the Sham
In 1965 Wooly Bully charted at Number Two and sold three million copies, making Sam the Sham and the...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Sunny & The Sunliners
One of the most popular Chicano bands in San Antonio, Sunny & the Sunliners had many regional hits...
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Credit: Courtesy of Ruben Molina
The Texas Tornados
The Texas Tornados brought together four musicians who crossed musical and ethnic boundaries: Freddy...
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Credit: Bill Millet
Lydia Mendoza
The legendary Tejana musician and singer Lydia Mendoza first recorded with her family in 1928. Her hit...
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Credit: Courtesy of Lydia Mendoza
Eva Ybarra
More than 60 years ago, Eva Ybarra achieved success playing a man’s instrument in a man’s...
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Credit: Courtesy of Eva Ybarra
Conjunto Bernal
The Bernal brothers, Paulino and Eloy, from Kingsville, Texas, caused a sensation with their 1958...
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Credit: Courtesy of C.L. Landin
Narciso Martinez and Santiago Almeida
Playing an instrument similar to the one in this case, accordionist Narciso Martínez made...
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Credit: Courtesy of Arhoolie Records
Laura Canales
Laura Canales reigned as best female vocalist at the Tejano Music Awards from 1983 to 1987. In an era...
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Credit: Courtesy of Ramón Hernández /Hispanic Entertainment Archives, San Antonio
Esteban Jordan
“The Jimi Hendrix of the Accordion,” Esteban “Steve” Jordan is known for his...
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Credit: Courtesy of C.L. Landin
Little Joe y La Familia
Born in Temple, Texas, Little Joe Hernández started his musical career in the Latinaires, and...
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Credit: Courtesy of La Familia Enterprises
Mando & the Chili Peppers
Mando & the Chili Peppers is one of the pioneers of Tejano rhythm and blues in San Antonio....
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Credit: Courtesy of Ruben Molina
Girl In A Coma
Influenced by their conjunto musician grandfather, Selena, and Chicana punks of the 1970s and 1980s,...
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Credit: Michael Rubenstein Courtesy of Blackheart Records Group
Flaco Jimenez
In 2009 Jimenez collaborated with the Hohner instrument company on a signature series of accordians....
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Credit: Courtesy of Annie Leibovitz
Jiménez Family Legacy
The Jiménez family have been accordionists for generations. Family patriarch Patricio Jim...
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Credit: Courtesy of Arhoolie Records
Migrant Labor and Music
Labor migration has taken the music of South Texas to many parts of the U.S. In Washington state, for...
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Credit: Courtesy of Jose G. and Maria G. Guzman
Sunny & The Sunliners at La Villita
It’s getting late / I better take you home. / Your mama's worried / oh what will she do? /...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Selena's Last Concert
Selena Quintanilla was Tejano music’s biggest star. Her last concert before she was murdered was...
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Credit: Bill Millet
Alice Bag
L.A.'s first female punk lead-singer was born Alicia Armendáriz to Mexican immigrants who...
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Credit: Courtesy © Jenny Lens Punk Archive/Cache Agency
The Premiers
Performing across the nation in Dick Clark’s concert tour “Caravan of Stars,” East L...
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Credit: Courtesy of Hector A. Gonzalez and the Rampart Records Collections
Don Tosti
An accomplished jazz musician and composer, Don Tosti performed with stars such as bandleader Jimmy...
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Credit: Courtesy of Don Tosti Papers, CEMA 88
Linda Ronstadt
Previous generations of Mexican American artists felt compelled to disguise their ethnic roots....
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Credit: Courtesy of Neal Preston
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
In 1962 while watching a bullfight in Tijuana, Mexico, Jewish trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Cannibal and the Headhunters
Enamored by Cannibal and the Headhunters’ Eastside rendition of Land of a Thousand Dances, The...
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Credit: Courtesy of Hector A. Gonzalez and the Rampart Records collections
Pachuco Boogie
Pachuco boogie was Mexican American dance music that alternated between African American and Afro-...
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Credit: Courtesy of Don Tosti Papers, California Ethnic and Muliticultual Archive, Davidson Library, UC Santa Barbara
Quetzal
East L.A.-based band Quetzal mixes Mexican and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, R&B, and alternative rock....
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Credit: Courtesy of Quetzal
Los Illegals
In the early 1980s Los Illegals spotlighted the lives of undocumented workers via punk music. The band...
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Credit: Courtesy ©1981W.F. Herron III
The Brat
The Brat released their 1980 EP Attitudes on local label Fatima Records. Teresa Covarrubia’s...
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Credit: Sean Carrillo, Courtesy of Michelle Habell-Pallán
Rosie Mendez-Hamlin
In 1959, 14 year-old Mexican American Rosie Mendez-Hamlin wrote the melody and lyrics for Angel Baby....
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Credit: Unknown
Los Lobos
Los Lobos is one of most original, eclectic, and commercially successful Mexican American bands to...
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Credit: Drew Reynolds
Ritchie Valens
Born Richard Valenzuela, Ritchie Valens was the first Mexican American rock star, with four hit...
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Credit: Courtesy of Ruben Molina
Lysa Flores
Lysa Flores -- the former lead-guitar player for L.A. punk-pioneer Alice Bag's all-female group,...
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Credit: Unknown
Lalo Guerrero
Known as the “Father of Chicano Music,” Eduardo “Lalo” Guerrero has a long...
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Credit: Courtesy of Lalo Guerrero Collection
Arturo Sandoval
One of Cuba’s premier jazz musicians, Arturo Sandoval was born in Artemisa, Cuba, and studied...
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Credit: Courtesy of Manny Iriarte
Desi Arnaz
Entertainer Desi Arnaz, who had fled Cuba for Miami after the 1933 Batista takeover, introduced the...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Ivy Queen
One of only a few female reggaetón stars, Ivy Queen holds her own with a cool elegance and...
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Credit: Courtesy of The Latin Recording Academy
El Vez
El Vez, the Elvis translator, brings the Chicano experience to life by irreverently highlighting the...
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Credit: Unknown
Albita
Albita Rodríguez grew up in Havana, Cuba, the daughter of popular folk music singers. By the...
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Credit: Courtesy of Tere Carranza
Willy Chirino
Cuban-born Willy Chirino moved to Miami in 1961 at age 14. He soon became an integral part of the city...
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Credit: Courtesy of Willy Chirino and Eventus
Israel “Cachao” López
Israel “Cachao” López is often credited as the creator of the mambo rhythm and...
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Credit: Courtesy of ©Andrew Lepley
Bacilos
Since the 1990s, Miami has been home to a number of multicultural bands like Bacilos (pictured above...
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Credit: By Tim Tadder, courtesy of Bacilos
Spam Allstars
Spam Allstars are one of the pioneers of the new Miami-fusion sound, blending Latin funk, electronica...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Miami Sound Machine
In 1984 Miami Sound Machine, featuring Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, burst onto the dance...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Gloria Estefan
Beginning in the mid-1980s, Gloria Estefan emerged as one of the biggest pop stars and went on to...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Los Illegals
Los Illegals, formed in 1979, were an instrumental Chicano band in the vibrant east L.A. punk scene of...
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Credit: Courtesy of Bavi García
Akwid
Since releasing its debut album in 2003, Proyecto Akwid, which was certified platinum and earned it a...
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Credit: Courtesy of EMP
Machito
Machito and His Afro-Cubans Band, estremeció el Palladium con una excitante combinación de...
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Credit: Courtesy of Johan Kugelberg
Machito and Graciela
A singer with her brother’s Machito and the Afro-Cubans for more than 30 years, Graciela...
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Credit: William P. Gottlieb / Library of Congress Collection
Mark Guerrero and Tango
Mark Guerrero with Chicano Rock band Tango....
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Credit: Courtesy of Mark Guerrero
Calle 13
René Pérez Joglar (lead singer, songwriter) and his stepbrother Eduardo José Cabra...
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Credit: Courtesy of Calle 13; photo by Francisco Román
Johnny Pacheco
Composer, arranger, bandleader, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Johnny Pacheco....
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Credit: Courtesy of Cuqui and Johnny Pacheco