Latin Music Recording Artists
The Latin culture is often linked to romance. It’s colorful, spicy, and sensual mix of music is no exception. Latin music in the United States, includes the music of all countries in Latin America (and the Caribbean) and comes in many varieties. From the simple, rural conjunto music of northern Mexico to the sophisticated habanera of Cuba, from the symphonies of Heitor Villa-Lobos to the simple and moving Andean flute. Let’s see how Latin recording artists continue to ignite our radio airwaves.
The Rhythm of The Islands
There are many diverse styles of Latin-American music, some of which constitutes Afro-American musical traditions, meaning that elements of European, African and indigenous music are fused. Spanish song forms, African rhythms, European, and African/Afro-American harmonies are major parts of tropical Latin music, as are the more modern genres such as rock, heavy-metal, punk, hip hop, jazz, reggae and R&B.
Latin music is still on fire today with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Marc Anthony, Jon Secada and Mana, still firing up the TV screen. From the hard rock style of Mana to the Island mixed middle-eastern flair of Shakira, these recording artists know how to get our adrenaline rushing into high gear and our bodies up and dancing.
Carlos Augusto Santana Alves (born July 20, 1947) is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American rock musician and guitarist. He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which created a highly successful blend of rock, blues, salsa, and jazz fusion. The band’s sound featured his melodic, blues-based guitar lines set against Latin percussion such as timbales and congas. Santana continued to work in these forms over the following decades. He experienced a sudden resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. Rolling Stone also named Santana number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.
Santana’s record sales in the 1990s were very low. Toward the end of the decade he was without a contract. However, Arista Records’ Clive Davis, who had worked with Santana at Columbia, signed him and encouraged him to record a star-studded album with mostly younger artists. The result was 1999’s Supernatural, which included collaborations with Everlast, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Cee-Lo, Maná, Dave Matthews, and others. The lead single was “Smooth”, a dynamic cha-cha stop-start number co-written and sung by Rob Thomas, and laced throughout with Santana’s guitar fills and runs.
The track’s energy was immediately apparent on radio, and it was played on a wide variety of station formats. “Smooth” spent twelve weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming in the process the last #1 single of the 1990s. The music video set on a hot barrio street was also very popular. Supernatural reached number one on the US album charts and the follow-up single, “Maria Maria”, featuring the R&B duo The Product G&B, also hit number one, spending ten weeks there in the spring of 2000. Supernatural eventually sold over 15 million copies in the United States, making it Santana’s biggest sales success by far.
Gloria Estefan (born Gloria María Fajardo on September 1, 1957) is a Cuban American singer and songwriter. Estefan’s first public musical performance was at a large Cuban wedding when her future husband, Emilio Estefan, Jr. asked her to join what was then called “The Miami Latin Boys.” With the addition of Estefan, the band’s name was changed to Miami Sound Machine.
In 1984, Miami Sound Machine released their first Epic/Columbia album, Eyes Of Innocence which contained the dance hit “Dr. Beat” as well as the ballad “I Need Your Love”. Their more successful follow-up album Primitive Love was released in 1985 launching three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Conga” (U.S. #10), “Words Get In The Way” (U.S. #5), and “Bad Boy” (U.S. #8) became follow up hits in the U.S. and around the world. “Words Get In The Way” reached #1 on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, establishing that the group could perform pop ballads equally as well as dance tunes. The song “Hot Summer Nights” was also released that year and was part of the blockbuster movie Top Gun.
Estefan’s next album, 1987’s Let It Loose, went multi-platinum, with six million copies sold in the US. It featured the following hits: “Anything For You” (#1 Pop), “1, 2, 3″ (#3 Pop), “Betcha Say That” (#36 Pop), “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” (#5 Pop), and “Can’t Stay Away From You” (#6 Pop). “Can’t Stay Away From You,” “Anything For You” and “1-2-3″ were all #1 Adult Contemporary hits as well.
In 1988, Estefan took top billing as the band’s name changed to Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine. Beginning in 1989, the group’s name was dropped altogether along with the firing of the Miami Sound Machine band members. Estefan was credited as a solo artist, though the ever-changing line-up of Miami Sound Machine continues as her backing band to this day. In 1989, after the worldwide chart success of single “Anything For You”, their Let it Loose album was repackaged as Anything For You. It became the band’s first UK #1 album, selling over a million copies. It was the biggest selling album of the year in The Netherlands, staying at #1 for 22 weeks. The album also took top honors in Australia and Canada, launching Estefan to superstar status.
In late 1989, she released her best-selling album to date, Cuts Both Ways. The album included the hit singles “Don’t Wanna Lose You” (a Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit), “Oye mi Canto (Hear my Voice)”, “Here We Are”, “Cuts Both Ways” (#1 on the U.S. Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart) and “Get on Your Feet.” Cuts Both Ways went platinum within its first month of release in the U.S. Success followed in the UK where it debuted at #1, with Gloria being the first act in 10 years to have two # 1 albums on the UK albums chart in one year.
Estefan returned to the charts with a concept album, Into the Light in 1991. “Coming Out of the Dark” was performed publicly for the first time on the American Music Awards in January 1991 receiving a standing ovation as she took stage. In the United States, Gloria has sold 15.5 millions copies of albums, ranking within the Top 200 best selling-artists at the States in a poll made at May 24, 2008. She is in the top 100 of best selling music artists with over 90 million albums sold worldwide. She has won five Grammy Awards and had several number one hits on multiple music charts, becoming among the most successful crossover performers in Latin music to date.
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born April 19, 1970), known as Luis Miguel, is a Puerto Rican-born Mexican-raised pop singer. Luis Miguel was originally thought to have been born in Mexico, as he grew up in the state of Veracruz. However, in the early 1980s it was reported in the press that he had actually been born in Puerto Rico during a very brief stay in the island by his parents. He was the son of the late Spanish singer Luisito Rey (born Luis Gallego Sánchez) and Italian-born actress Marcela Basteri. When asked if he recognizes the fact that he was born in Puerto Rico, he goes on to say that he still considers himself 100% Mexican.
At the age of four, he appeared in public in Costa Rica. During his adolescent years, his father, who was also his manager, encouraged him to watch and analyze nearly every movie, recording, and concert performance of Elvis Presley, as a learning process towards the attainment of a high degree of showmanship. His actual recording career started in 1981, at the age of 11, with the recording of his first album, 1+1= 2 Enamorados (1+1=2 In Love) release by the Mexican branch of EMI Records. Two years later, he started touring Latin American countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina.
In 1987 Luis Miguel signed with Warner Brothers at age 17 launching his first album, “Soy Como Quiero Ser” (I am who I want to be). He earned 8 gold and 5 silver awards, beginning his career as a sex-symbol in all Latin-America. With the backing of producer and composer Juan Carlos Calderón, this was a step in the right direction.
In 1988, the album Un Hombre Busca Una Mujer brought Luis Miguel the beginning of what would be fame and popularity throughout Latin America. The album’s mega-hit single La Incondicional broke all previous records and was a number one hit all through Latin America for over five months.
In 1990, he made a successful transition from child singer to adult showman extraordinaire with the album 20 Años and an ensuing string of sold-out shows — first in Mexico, then throughout Latin America and elsewhere in the world, where he established a reputation for hard work and for delivering some of the most extraordinary vocals to be heard in popular music.
In 1991, Luis Miguel’s career soared to even greater heights and earned him the respect of a wider audience with the release of Romance (album), an album of romantic Mexican standards, known as boleros. Romances is the best-selling Spanish-language album of all time and the first Spanish album by a male ever to reach platinum status in the United States (albums selling over one million copies).
In 1993, his album Aries won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. Luis Miguel became the first Latin artist ever to sell out Madison Square Garden, receiving a special recognition in the middle of his sold-out concert. In 1994, he released a sequel to Romance, Segundo Romance, featuring Miguel as a convincing pop tenor with mastery over timeless Spanish classics such as Solamente Una Vez and Sin Ti. The album went on to earn a Grammy Award, reaching platinum status in the United States. In 1996, Luis Miguel received a highly sought after and prized recognition with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1997 Miguel released Romances, the third album of the bolero series. Romances broke all previous records and became the fastest selling Spanish-language album in US history; it rose to #14 on the Billboard chart in its debut week. Romances earned Miguel a World Music Award and another Grammy Award. In 1999, Luis Miguel released Amarte Es Un Placer which earned him three Latin Grammys. Its hit single O Tu O Ninguna placed #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks list for eight consecutive weeks. The Amarte Es Un Placer Tour became the best selling tour for a Latin artist in history.
Luis Miguel then released Mis Romances in 2001, his fourth album in the bolero series. This album sold over two million copies worldwide. In 2003, Luis Miguel released his first pop album in over four years. Entitled 33, indicative of his age, it featured a collection of ballads and uptempo songs. The first single Te Necesito rose immediately to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks list. 33 was the best-selling Latin Pop Album of the Year. Prince Felipe of Spain presented him with a special award for being the best-selling foreign artist in his country’s history, and hosted a special party in his honor in Madrid.
In 2004, Luis Miguel released Mexico En La Piel, a collection of traditional Mexican mariachi songs. This album was widely regarded by both critics and fans as one of Miguel’s best works; also earning him two Grammy Awards. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first week just in Mexico. In 2005, Luis Miguel released Grandes Exitos, his first greatest hits album, that featured his greatest songs he recorded during all his career, including two never-released singles:Misterios Del Amor and Si Te Perdiera.
Luis Miguel’s new studio album is called “Complices” and will be released on May 6, 2008. Produced by Luis Miguel and written by the spanish composer Manuel Alejandro. The first single, “Si tú te atreves” (English: “If you dare”) was released on April 7, 2008. The 2008 Complices Tour is confirmed to start in the United States, and he revealed that he will be in USA, Mexico, Central America, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Spain, Italy and Brazil.
An Unforgettable Voice
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), best known as Selena, was a Mexican American singer who has been called “the queen of Tejano music”. The youngest child of a Mexican-American couple, Selena released her first album at the age of twelve. She won Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards and landed a recording contract with EMI a few years later.
Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas to a Mexican-American father, Abraham Quintanilla and a Mexican/Native American mother, Marcella Ofelia Samora. She began singing at the age of six; when she was nine her father founded the singing group Selena y Los Dinos, which she fronted. They initially performed at the Quintanilla family’s restaurant, Pappagallo, but the restaurant failed shortly afterwards. The family soon went bankrupt and was evicted from their home.
Taking their musical equipment in an old bus, they relocated to Corpus Christi, Texas. There, they performed wherever they could: at street corners, weddings, quinceañeras, and fairs.These efforts at spreading their names paid off in 1983 when the twelve-year-old Selena recorded her first album for a local record company. The album was not sold in stores and her father bought all of the original copies. It was re-released in 1995 under the title Mis Primeras Grabaciones.
Selena released her second album, Alpha, in 1986. At the 1987 Tejano Music Awards, Selena won Best Female Vocalist (and dominated the award for the next seven years). In 1988, she released two albums, Preciosa and Dulce Amor. In 1989, José Behar, the former head of the Sony Latin Music division, signed Selena with Capitol/EMI, a record company he founded. He later said that he signed Selena because he thought he had discovered the next Gloria Estéfan. Selena signed a contract with Coca-Cola to become one of their spokespersons the same year and her concerts drew thousands of people.
In 1990, Selena released another album, Ven Conmigo, written by her main songwriter and brother Abraham Quintanilla, III. This recording was the first Tejano album recorded by a female artist to achieve gold status. Selena released another hit album in 1992, Entre a Mi Mundo, which also achieved gold status. Songs from that album, such as “Como La Flor”, helped make Selena a star. Her 1993 Selena Live! album won a Grammy award for Best Mexican-American Performance.
Selena released her next album, Amor Prohibido, in 1994. The album was nominated for another Grammy award for Mexican-American Album of the Year. Selena and her band continued to receive accolades; Billboard’s Premio Lo Nuestro awarded them six prestigious awards including Best Latin Artist and Song of the Year for “Como La Flor”. Coca-Cola released a commemorative bottle in her honor to celebrate their five-year relationship. Meanwhile, her duet with the Barrio Boyzz, “Dondequiera Que Estes”, raced to the top of the Latin charts. This prompted Selena to tour in New York City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Central America where she was in growing demand. The duet with Salvadoran singer Alvaro Torres, “Buenos Amigos”, was also a hit.
By fall of 1994, Amor Prohibido was a commercial success in Mexico and made four number one Latin hits, replacing Gloria Estefan’s Mi Tierra on the chart’s number one spot. It sold over 400,000 copies by March 1995, reaching gold status. Her album Selena Live! won Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th Grammy Awards. At this point, Selena developed plans to record an English-language album, but continued to tour for Amor Prohibido while beginning preparations for the album.
In February 1995, Selena played a concert at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the Houston Astrodome, which attracted over 61,000 fans—more than country stars such as George Strait, Vince Gill and Reba McEntire.
In early 1995, the Quintanillas discovered that Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena’s fan club and the manager of her boutiques, was embezzling money from the boutiques and decided to fire her. Soon after the fallout, Selena agreed to meet Saldívar in a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi on the morning of March 31, 1995 to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes. At the hotel, Selena demanded the missing financial papers. Saldívar delayed the handover by claiming she had been raped in Mexico.The singer drove Saldívar to a local hospital where doctors found no evidence of rape. Saldívar returned to the motel where Selena again demanded the missing financial papers.
An argument ensued and Saldívar drew a gun from her purse, pointing it first at her own head and then at Selena. As the singer turned and left the room, Saldívar shot her once in the back. Selena fled to the manager’s office in the lobby for help, with Saldívar chasing her screaming profanity. Before collapsing to the floor, Selena named Saldívar as her assailant and gave the room number where she had been shot. After an ambulance and the police arrived on the scene, Selena was transported to a local hospital. She died there from loss of blood at 1:05 p.m., at the age of 23.
Before her death, Selena scheduled her English album for release in the summer of 1995. That summer, Selena’s album Dreaming of You, a combination of Spanish-language songs and new English-language tracks, debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making her the first Hispanic singer to accomplish this feat and the second highest debut after Michael Jackson’s HIStory. On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer, and it sold two million copies in its first year. Songs such as “I Could Fall in Love” and “Dreaming of You” were played widely by mainstream English-language radio, with the latter reaching #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, “I Could Fall in Love”, while ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time, reached #12 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. “Dreaming of You” has sold approximately five million copies in the U.S.