Jose Alfredo Jimenez y Cruz Lizarraga

José Alfredo Jiménez was the undisputed king of ranchera, the dramatic and sentimental singing style that originated in the cities of Mexico during the 1950s and '60s. Jiménez began his musical career at the age of ten, when his parents' deaths resulted in his leaving school and starting a musical group with a friend, Jorge Gabilondo Patiño. In the late '40s, Jiménez formed a trio, Los Rebeldes, with a pair of brothers, Enrique and Valentin Ferrusca. The group's first break came when they were hired to become regular performers on Mexican radio station XEW. In addition to perf...