July 17, 2024 • 32 mins
Come with us as we continue exploring the incredible journey of Los Tigres del Norte. In today’s episode, we start with their first-ever hit, the iconic “Camelia La Tejana”. It’s only the beginning. Soon, the Tigres will be exploding in popularity, only to be met with scrutiny and heartbreak. Join us to discover how they overcame these challenges and became the iconic band we know and love today.
Lilliana Vazquez and Joseph Carrillo are the hosts of Becoming An Icon with production support by Nick Milanes, Rodrigo Crespo, Santiago Sierra, Evelyn Uribe and Edgar Esteban of Sonoro Media in partnership with iHeart Radio's My Cultura Podcast network.
If you want to support the podcast, please rate and review our show.
Follow Lilliana Vazquez on Instagram and Twitter @lillianavazquez
Follow Joseph Carrillo on Instagram @josephcarrillo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The last time we checked in with our head figre
eldest boy, Joque Hernandez. He and his brothers had traveled
from the tiny rural community of Rossamorada, to the border
town of Mexicalli and eventually to San Jose del Tito.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
We are not in Sinaloa anymore now.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
In nineteen seventy two, with the help of his benefactor
art walker Akah Grants, he found himself in the strangest town.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yet, Holly Wood.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now, speaking as a recently minted Angelino myself, some of
la might have reminded hohev home from the mountains and
the hills to the mission style architecture. But can you
imagine coming from this tiny farm town and then seeing.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
The Capitol Records building the Chinese Theater. Do you think
they went to Disney?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Uh? Not at Disney prices. Let's not forget they were
here on business and that shit is expensive. I barely
afford to take Sandy there for a day, all right, right.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Also, they're collecting tips for puppy's surgery, and they didn't
have a go fund me.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Back then, and despite having four albums under their belt,
Los Theater's career had yet to take off, making this
trip to La a little bit of the last ditch
effort for the group.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And in this town is who you know? And art
Walker was here to see one person.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Imagine him driving Quotia down Hollywood Boulevard, the Capitol Records
Building getting closer and closer and closer, and then they
drive right past.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It because art Walker did not have a guy Capitol Records.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Now he and Joree are in La to see Anhel Gonzalez,
a promising gori, the lyricist hailing from Basucil in the
state of Chihuahua.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Like Rossa Morada, it's a tiny farming town, but unlike
Rosa Morada, it's closer to the border. And bitch me
knowing because of my past life regression on the last episode.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Make sure you listen to that if you're just joining
us this week.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Now, with his proximity to the border, Gonzales wrote corridos
that were a little different from the more traditional versions
that really talked about romance and revolutionaries, and art Walker
wanted Joe to hear one song in particular, Condra Bandoracion
m HM.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
A tale of love, cross border, smuggling and betrayal. It's
given Bunny and Clyde. If Clyde was a fuck on,
Camilia and Emilio are Buddha and smuggling la between Mexico
and the US border. Remember when weed was illegal.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
You mean the dark days. So the song follows Emilion
Camelia from Sani Siro Tijuana into San Clemente. Okay, which
if you're listening to this and you are on this side,
it is San Clementi, Like that's how they say it
in Orange County. Okay, I'm not going to say it
like that because you also latina yeas maol. Now let's
(02:58):
go back to the story. So they fly into San Clementy,
and in San Clementy they fly under the nose of
immigration officers and into La.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Into holly Wood, and there, in a shady alleyway, they
unload their contrabando from the tires of their car, literally
pounds and pounds of weed, and they get themselves what
paid honey.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
But then comes La Brecion. Emilio tells Comedia it's been
real and says he's going back to his other lady
friend in San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But hell has no fury like a bitch done dirty honey.
So Camelia pulls out her nine and like Rihanna at
Emilio honey.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
By the way, should we be translating these songs into
English for another kind of podcast? Was this shit is fire?
Okay it is? It's dangerous now. It wasn't just three
pop pop pops. It was seven gunshots, to be exact.
And when the please get to the crime scene, they
find the pistol, but that's the last trace they find
(04:05):
of Camellia Latjana bitch.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
We from Texas. So you know what, they ain't ever
gonna find her because we hide in her well. Okay, okay,
at least in the song, because in real life, Camelia
la Tehana is about to blow up everybody's feet.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Los Gres had a hit on their hands, and it
seems like they knew it because they tried recording it
several different ways, in several different arrangements. They even tried
making it a duet, which happened to be a trend
in gorridos at the time.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
But the final version has Horquez singing solo in the
classic corridosteas, and.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
The song became a smash hit that far exceeds the
Thegus Wildest Dreams. The record dominated Spanish language radio records
flew off the shelves, Camellia became a folk icon. I
mean she was like Bonnie, she.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Literally was, and those thegis became a household name for
Mexicanos on either side of the border.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
After Camellia La Tejana came to life in film adaptations
and sequel songs, it became clear that Contrabando i Tracion
kicked off a revival of the corrido. But this revival
would make the original writer of the song, Ahil Gonzalez
a little uneasy.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's because this isn't yourr abuelles corrido.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Rather than romantic tales of revolutionary Mexican heroes and their
historical exploits, the new corridos aka narco corridos were tales
of drug smuggling, wealth and bloodshed.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
A little scorsese, a little gangster rap.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And alongside the explosion of narco corridos, los digres del
Norte would rise to international fame and fortune and become
the subject of intense scrutiny in their homeland. That's today,
on becoming an icon. I'm your host, Liliana Osca and.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm Joseph Carrio and this is Becoming an Icon.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
A weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on
how today's most famous Latin V stars have shaped pop culture.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
And given the world some extra tuble.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Sit back and get comfortable.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Because we are going in the only way we know
how with Buenos Viras, I'm.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Buenas Riesas and a lot of opinions as we relive
their greatest achievements on our journey to find out what
makes them still iconic. On the heels of Contrabando Tracion
(06:47):
los Figres Fever Gripped Mexico.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Our four farm boys went from playing bars in San
Jose to playing on Simpre and Domingo, a Mexican TV
show that showcased the biggest stars of.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
The Momenta Mexican and Sullivan, who you literally have no
cultural history when it comes to white things, white people,
white music. No, I know You're Latino through and through.
The point is everybody watched the show, including my dear Wilita,
(07:19):
God Rest her soul. Their family back in Drossa Mourada
even turned it on with their mother carrying their new
baby brother, Luis in her arms.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Contrabandrecon was an instant classic. Los Figoe has even recorded
a sequel years later, Jan Contarna Camilia. Because if fans
love anything, it's a.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Universe, and Las Figura has had one with figures like Camellia,
La Tejana and Labanda del Carojo. But while the sensationalism
of these characters made waves, the band's staying power came
from their deep connection to the people.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Links the band's success, to quote the songs that people live,
the events that happen every day. So it wasn't all
gunfights in gangster gland. They sing about every day hint
the strogles too.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And especially every day Mexicanos here in the States, because
remember those das were undocumented for much of their career,
and before their breakout, they were out in the fields.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
They sang from their own experience, and they sang about
what they saw others going through.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Just look at La, their song from nineteen eighty four.
It's from the pov of an undocumented immigrant reflecting on
a decade of life in the United States.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
He remembers bringing his kids over the border and how
sad he is that they can't remember what Mexico was
like meanwhile, he can never forget.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
He can make money in this land, but he can't
risk going back to his home without the right papers.
He's in a golden cage.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh nahow la. This was a reality for all whole
ass generation of Mexicanos entering the US, and it just
so happened to be the biggest generation of Mexican immigrants
Grengorlandia had ever seen.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Because once upon a time, the US actively sought out
Mexican immigrants through the Brasseto Program, an initiative aimed at
addressing labor shortages from World War Two.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
The program lasted until the mid nineteen sixties and brought
four point five million Mexican workers into the States. Can
you imagine if they did this now? Genuinely I cannot.
And this was the biggest influx of documented and undocumented
immigrants in history. And they were all staking out new
lives in the US while sending money home. And the
(09:31):
crazy thing is Los Thedias were right there with them,
working to pay for their dad's surgery. But I can
see why some people might feel kind of icky about
the narco corridos, Like these Gemingos already think we're bringing drugs,
But why are you singing songs about it?
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Not just singing songs about it, but singing songs that
glorify it. That is, if you side with the critics.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Is that what they said about loss?
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Well, over the years, Mexican radio stations have actually banned
Los Degres songs under the pretense that they promote and
glorify Narco culture.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
The songs being Contrabandorecion, El Gato Felix, lavand Del Vivos.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Right, and it's also worth pointing out two of those
songs aren't about los narcos. El Gato Felix is about
the death of a journalist who turned up the heat
on the government, while Vivan los Mojados is a song
that honors undocumented migrants. I also have to point out
that is a reclamation of an old slur, which I
still to this day hate saying.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
So basically, you're saying that Narco staff was an excuse
to censor other ships.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Right, Let's take
a look at one of their biggest songs about Narco,
El Hefe the Hefes.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I love that song.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I know you. I was like, you are the heffe
the heafes. So the song's narra is Felix Gayardo, the
founder of Guadalajara's first cartel. The lyrics if you will, Joseph.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I'm the boss of bosses, Senoris. I am respected at
all levels. You'll never see my name or my photo
in the papers because journalists love me, and if they don't,
they lose my friendship.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Okay, So friendship here meaning goodwill. So he's basically saying,
if you print my name.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Then blah blah blah. Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
He goes on to say that his line of work
is cost him and that those who have tried to
touch his crown have died doing so.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Like I didn't want to do it, but I had
to mm hmmm.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
And out running the government is a game for him,
and he grants favors to important people. He's simultaneously the
tree that provides them shade and the hot sun that
would otherwise bear down on them.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I mean that does sound like a cartel boss. It
sounds less glam and more accurate. Wait, if people like
e heve went after journalists for exposing them, why was
it okay for Los cigras to sing about them?
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Well, Gaiatoga went to prison a long before that song
came out. But when Losigas sang about narticles at large,
they changed all of the names and details about their subjects.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
So it was more like if you know, you know,
but like everyone knows about the Cartels.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
No, I mean, the power and influence of Cartel's was
not a secret by the time radio stations started to
censor Los Figras, and that's something the group stands firm about.
Ernan Ernandez the basis said, the public knows that we
sing about reality. If there were a revolution, we would
sing corrillos about the revolution. It can't cover the sun
(12:47):
with your finger. By the way, I'm stealing that quote.
Hold on, wait, this is giving some Daddy Yankee flashbacks.
They want to shut down.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
A narco corrillos, just like the government in Puerto Rico
wanted a censor and phone.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
And sometimes they succeed. Radio stations across Mexico entered into
quote unquote voluntary agreements, promising not to play the music,
sometimes at the behest of the government, sometimes on their own.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
But lostigs still got huge with or without the airplay.
Jorca said in an interview that quote every time they
banned a song, it's sold more people like what's prohibited,
which is why a case of OG four loco would
get you stacks on the dark web.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
How do you know shit like this, Joseph, what you think?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I don't know about the dark web.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
No, I'm saying, are you buying the locos? Or are
you so like that?
Speaker 2 (13:43):
For to keep the specifics of my Negotio's as the mic,
Thank you and please anyway.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
The censorship of narco corridos continues to this day. Just
last year, the state of the Wana banned Narco Corridos
from the airwaves in response to the popularity of Corrido
to other the artists like Bessel Bluma. Back in the
year two thousand, the president of the Society of Writers
of Mexico argued, the state governments have made a mistake.
(14:09):
They want to sanction the consequence and not the cause.
They believe that by banning the sale of CDs in stores,
or by not allowing goridos to be heard on the
radio and television, they will stop the phenomenon of drug trafficking.
The phenomenon is deeper. The gorrido doesn't cause it, It
simply reflects it.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Boom facts.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
This is always the conversation happening, which is chicken or egg. Right,
It's the simplest way to look at it is that
I am not here for glorifying Natical culture. I mean,
I can honestly say that I have never watched an
entire episode of the show Natkos on Netflix, and people
think it's wild that I've never seen it. I'm like,
(14:50):
why because I'm Mexican. Oh, I just don't need to
watch it because I think what happens is when you
put these images into the world, people use it as
a stereotype, right, Like we have enough to fight against
as Mexicans, I don't need to also be fighting eighteen
seasons of narticles on Netflix. Like there's more to an
entire country than just this show. So I don't know,
(15:12):
I just it's not for me.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Well, here's the thing with at least their music, I
just kind of feel like they aren't telling you that
they want the bitches and hosts. They're giving kind of
a point of view. They're just kind of saying what's around,
you know what I mean, Like in a situation, they're
never saying it's them. They're never saying they are trying
to achieve this, so I feel like they're not really
(15:36):
like supporting it, like they're just stuck in that situation.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yes, I hear you, and I'm not saying listen, let
me be very clear. I am not saying that the
music from Las Vegos is creating the same issues that
shows like Narcos or Griselda Orrina rel Sur is creating.
I am not saying that at all. I think that
the music is more of a reflection of what is
(16:01):
happening in our culture right, and I think that's not
for them to fix. They're artists. They're reflecting what they
say back to us.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
And what makes that cool is that, like, for example,
they said they saw something, right, they saw this woman.
We're going to say her name is Griselda or whatever
her name is, and then all of a sudden people
took that and they elaborated it, and then they made
a movie of something Griselda. Yeah, that's how impactful. And
they're not talking about themselves or their girlfriend named Griselda.
They're saying, we saw this bitch named something, and this
(16:31):
is what she was up to, and now people are
making movies of it. Like they're just telling you what's
going on?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Right, and Lastygas can't pick and choose who likes their music.
They can't be like, oh, sorry, not goals, don't listen
to our albums. You know that they can't do that,
Like people find your music that like it, and you
can't control the audience. It's also it's a story as
old as time, Like we've been talking about easter eggs. Right,
you talk about Taylor Swift's music, we all think that
she's talking about John Mayer, she's talking about Travis Kelcey,
(16:56):
or she's talking about Matt Healy, Like you don't actually
know who the fuck she's talking about because she's Taylor
Swift and the only person that knows what she's talking
about is Taylor Swift. So you've got to let artists
be to some degree and take creative liberty with their
lyrics and their music. And that's what they were doing.
If you, as their adoring fans, want to interpret what
they're saying, then you can. But if the artist is
(17:16):
saying that's not what it's about, it's not what we support,
you kind of have to take them at their word,
or if you don't want to, just don't listen to
the music. This is all very complicated and it's often
used to draw pretty big conclusions and accusations. For example,
that THEGIS music was a tool.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
For recruiting listeners into cartelss are ulswan record that they've
never been paid to write a song for a cartel
boss or play any private shows for night clost which
listeners should know that is a state.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Oh yeah, it's a whole ass thing. I mean, there
are music videos produced by the cartels, but there's also
really famous popular music acts that are paid like hundreds
of thousands of dollars to perform at Natcal parties. I'm
talking about parties for the cartels, but I'm also talking
about their kids keep singing yet as like their kids baptism.
(18:13):
I mean, this is the thing, I think one of
the most famous rumors, and I'm just going to call
it an allegation. It was alleged that Jenny Rivera used
to perform for narticles before, of course, her tragic death
in that plane crash. So this is the thing that
happens all over Mexico. And it's not huge acts. Sometimes
(18:34):
it's smaller acts that maybe we don't know that are
more regional. But the cartels are definitely funding a lot
of musical performances. It's like when Beyonce went to Dubai
to perform for that hotel, like that level of shit.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
But for all the.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Association between those Thetis and narco corridos, eldest at Mano
Jorge insists that they don't sing narco corridos.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
He told PBS quote, we do not worship rug toughers.
We do not sing narco corridos. We only sing corridos.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Like we heard earlier for Los Figers. Corridos are simply
the truth. When little brother Ed Nunn mentioned singing about
a revolution, he was throwing it back to the Mexican
Revolution because in those days, corridos were a form of journalism.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Or x fka Twitter, which ain't perfect. You might get
some tea that even a tabloid wouldn't touch, but that
doesn't always mean it's for real.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Right, There are plenty of narco corridos that have painted
Los Narracos in a glamorous light, and they still do.
But as Lospigers themselves have pointed out, banning their music
has only made people more eager to find it and
listen to it. So all in all you can feel
for Anhil Gonzalez, the writer of Gondraban Utracion, He must
(19:49):
have felt as though he let a genie out of
a bottle.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Is someone hinting to our next.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Icon Tranguilo traquilo? Gu We've still got an epina half
with our boys, and they're about to hit some major
bumps in the road, Joseph, have you ever had a
(20:16):
loved one fall under the spell of somebody they trust?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Girl? My friend Rashida still has a title subscription out
of loyalty to Quimby.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Ugh, that's dire. Can you get her off that?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Try?
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Well, what we're about to talk about is a little
different than making questionable streaming choices. So we've seen how
Art Walker you mean, you Grant. We've seen how Los
Manager really did seem to have their interest at heart.
Hoda even said he saw him like a surrogate father
in the US.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
He told him that they could be bigger and better,
and he really did help them get there.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
In the seventies, Las Vega's popularity exploded faster than even
he could imagine. That's why Art was in the market
for a little help.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Smart move. If you know how to look for the
right person.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Right and unfortunate, Arturo Caminante would walk right into the
arms of the wrong guy.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
With all the sterious strangers in this story, one of
them was bound to be a bad one.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
And this is probably the most mysterious stranger of them
all because we don't even know his name. I know, publicly,
Los Thegoes have only ever referred to the man as
El Italiano, the Italian. I mean no disrespect to Italians,
it's just the only specific detail Lostigias I've ever mentioned
(21:41):
about this guy.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
It's just like their corridos. They don't name names, but
they make everything sound cool and western.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
According to Ernan Ernandez, the Italian joined Los Figos' business
to say it with me now without a contract, fam,
when are we gonna learn? I mean, Latinos get lawyers.
Do not be signing fabels without reading. Okay, mom, I'm
talking to you mom. Hello. Now. This arrangement was strictly
(22:14):
quote unquote honor system, and the boys could kind of
tell something wasn't right.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I bet they wondered why they didn't have more money
to bring to the telegraph office.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
And they've never gotten into specifics about what rubbed them
the wrong way about the Italian, but most agree it
was money honey. And so after their time with Art
and the Italian, which included ten albums and several movie appearances,
the group parted ways with both of them in the
late seventies.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
And that's a rap for Hugh Grant. Another said goodbye
for a group that already had to leave their whole
family behind in Sinaloa, And.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It turned out to be a pretty messy goodbye because
the Italian sued Los Digres and claimed ownership of the
band's name.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
And catalog, movies, got everything else Old West Vibes, chart
topping smash hits, and now a court room drama.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Three years of courtroom drama that's longer than Free Brittany
and Los Figras countersuit, And in the end, the judge
ruled in Los Figras's favor, giving Los Figras full ownership
of their own catalog and total creative control, making eldest
brother Jorge.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Eljefe the hef pe Sennors come back in my shade.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Basking in your shade, by the way, is the highlight
of my week. Maybe that should be my corrida name
la sombra. Ooh what are we doing this? Okay, let's
do corrido names. Okay. So if you're Las Sombra, what
am I?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
You're La Bigonia because you thrive in my shade.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Oh my god, Las Sombra Legona bo hold the phone?
Does one of us kill the other?
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Like Cora? That is a mystery.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Listeners, Never get into drug smuggling with someone who's only
in it for the drama. And always read your contracts. Hmm,
and make sure everyone you work with has a contract. Anyway,
I'm back to Los Vegas. Portree was now more than
just the band leader. He was the manager for the
whole band, but his leadership was about to get tested.
(24:35):
Los Figoes were on top of the world and had
no one holding them back.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
They toured across Mexico, the US, and all across Central
and South America.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
And beginning with the nineteen eighty seven Grammys, I Lospegiras
became regular nominees.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Their first Grammy nominated album was Eleotro Mexico, and the
opening track is kind of perfect for that.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
It goes no mechan I came here by necessity. It's
a node to all the Mexicans, from doctors and engineers
to village elders who came here as Braseros, sending practically
everything they earned back home.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Elotro Mexico is the Mexico that Braseros built through blood,
sweat and tears. The Mexico Los cidre isknew from picking
tomatoes in Sinaloa and daylighting as gardeners in San Jose
while playing music, and.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
The following year, nineteen eighty eight, they would win their
first Grammy for Best Mexican American Performance with Gracias America
sin Fronterra's Thank You America without Borders. But the eighties
were not without challenges for Los Fires. Before recording their
Grammy winning album Lupe Olivio, their sax player would quit
(25:47):
the band due to health problems.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Luckily, the band had yet another musical brother to count on, Eduardago,
born in nineteen sixty four. I feel like there's enough
brothers in this family to form a cape group.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
They'd be the t Gres like t hyphen Gres.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I hate you. Okay, see this is why we leave
K pop to Korea.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Okay, Damn Las sombratrude to his name.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Anyway, the new and youngest Data would soon have more
responsibility than he bargained for. Jore himself fell ill and
couldn't sing for a year and asked eduardol to take
the mic.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So backstage, just as they were about to go on,
the band asks Luardo to save the day and take
the mic.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Well, okay, we don't know that that's how it happened.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Okay, but it's fun to imagine. Can I bitch imagine.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Whether or not Eduardo had a Hollywood moment. He did
bring something new to the band, a yearning voice that
was perfect for romantic ballads. Case in point, the nineteen
eighty seven classic La Perta Negra off of Americas in Fronterras.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I know the song because my grandpa paid the accordion.
No way, I have one at my house.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Yeah, do you play the accordion?
Speaker 2 (27:01):
I did when I was little, but I own one
because he left it to me.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Oh that's sweet.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
And I would always request this song when I was little.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Can I tell you that one of my favorite pastimes
when I'm in like a deep TikTok scroll or an Instagram, Like,
I literally look at like Mexicans dancing to this fucking song.
It is the cutest thing ever because it's always like
old people, and there's always like a real short Mexican
guy and then like.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
I just love it so much.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
It's just it's really cute, like Mexicans fucking get down
to Leveward that Negata and it's always like again it's
like a short Mexican guy and then like a big
tall Mexican woman.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
You know what, bitch, Mexicans love forbid in love. They
just they just love something like you know what I mean,
They just love it to be so like star Crossed.
We love the drama, like we live.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
It's really cute because people have all ages danced to
it and it's just I just love it like they
like we love love. We love to dance, and it's
so bouncy and like when you see these guys on
the street, you like, don't think that they can fucking
throw down, and then you see them and they hear
that accordion and they're like fucking usher on roller skates. Okay.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
And you know the crazy thing is that I always
wanted my grandpa to sing, but he only always played
the accordion. And I feel like with this song in particular,
like the voice was so different than anything before. Los
Digtees like this one was like I don't want to
say whiny, but it was just kind of like longer, right,
do you know what I mean? It was a little
more nasally.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Oh, I mean totally. I mean you're talking about it.
It's a completely different singer, right, Like this is the
water those sound this is his voice, and I think
since it's kind of his first like he was trying
to make his mark and kind of put his stamp
on what the sound of Los Figres would be with
him at the helm.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
You know what, on the next episode, I'm going to
bring my accordion.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
I would love nothing more for you to create. You
need to grace these airways with your accordinator skills. On
the next Becoming an Icon, a solo by Joseph Garrio.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
It's true.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
So Losvegaas added heartbreak to their repertoire, but a few
years later, the brothers would experience a different sort of heartbreak.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I think I know what's coming.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
In the early nineties, just before Los Thegas were set
to go on stage, they received the news that their father,
Don Eduardo Ernandez, had passed away.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Los Degas had done a lot to help their dad's injury,
but in the end, cancer took his life.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Heartbroken, the group debated whether they should go on or
head home to their family. Immediately, over an hour of
mournful deliberation, they heard the roar of the crowd, unaware
of the tragedy and demanding they go on.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Then the news reached the crowd and they went quiet.
The band heard this show of respect and decided to play.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
They saying with lumps in their throats and tears in
their eyes. The next day, they headed to San Jose,
where the family had relocated, to say goodbye to Don Eduardo.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
He was their whole reason for coming to the US.
Their whole journey started with him, and then he was gone.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
If there's any comfort, it's that they were able to
take care of him. Their journey wasn't in vain, and
they even got to bring him to the States. And
at least the brothers had each other right for a time.
But a couple of years later, in nineteen ninety five,
Raoul decided to part ways with the band and go solo.
The lone He was like the JT of losches, and
(30:40):
by the way, that is what they called him today.
Raoul had wanted to record a mariachi banda album featuring
Sinelo and musicians.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
But the rest of the band wasn't interested.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
We're Nathaniels. They told him that's the kind of music
they had always played and that they wanted to continue playing.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
So Rool was out. There couldn't be another brother, could there?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
There? Sure is, Joseph. This is like the Partridge Family
Mexican style. Yeah, okay, and by the way, we've already
met him.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Wait what rewind the tape? I totally missed this. I
think I had an herbal refreshment like something. Anyways, Sorry, Joseph.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
That's all the time we have today, so you and
all of you will have to wait to listen till
next week. On the next Becoming an Icon, Youstigre's youngest
member joins the band, giving us the lineup we know
and love today. Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoo
(31:50):
and Iheart's Michael Guda podcast network. Listen to Becoming an
Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you
get your I Guiness A book
The last time we checked in with our head figre
eldest boy, Joque Hernandez. He and his brothers had traveled
from the tiny rural community of Rossamorada, to the border
town of Mexicalli and eventually to San Jose del Tito.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
We are not in Sinaloa anymore now.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
In nineteen seventy two, with the help of his benefactor
art walker Akah Grants, he found himself in the strangest town.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yet, Holly Wood.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now, speaking as a recently minted Angelino myself, some of
la might have reminded hohev home from the mountains and
the hills to the mission style architecture. But can you
imagine coming from this tiny farm town and then seeing.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
The Capitol Records building the Chinese Theater. Do you think
they went to Disney?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Uh? Not at Disney prices. Let's not forget they were
here on business and that shit is expensive. I barely
afford to take Sandy there for a day, all right, right.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Also, they're collecting tips for puppy's surgery, and they didn't
have a go fund me.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Back then, and despite having four albums under their belt,
Los Theater's career had yet to take off, making this
trip to La a little bit of the last ditch
effort for the group.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And in this town is who you know? And art
Walker was here to see one person.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Imagine him driving Quotia down Hollywood Boulevard, the Capitol Records
Building getting closer and closer and closer, and then they
drive right past.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It because art Walker did not have a guy Capitol Records.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Now he and Joree are in La to see Anhel Gonzalez,
a promising gori, the lyricist hailing from Basucil in the
state of Chihuahua.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Like Rossa Morada, it's a tiny farming town, but unlike
Rosa Morada, it's closer to the border. And bitch me
knowing because of my past life regression on the last episode.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Make sure you listen to that if you're just joining
us this week.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Now, with his proximity to the border, Gonzales wrote corridos
that were a little different from the more traditional versions
that really talked about romance and revolutionaries, and art Walker
wanted Joe to hear one song in particular, Condra Bandoracion
m HM.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
A tale of love, cross border, smuggling and betrayal. It's
given Bunny and Clyde. If Clyde was a fuck on,
Camilia and Emilio are Buddha and smuggling la between Mexico
and the US border. Remember when weed was illegal.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
You mean the dark days. So the song follows Emilion
Camelia from Sani Siro Tijuana into San Clemente. Okay, which
if you're listening to this and you are on this side,
it is San Clementi, Like that's how they say it
in Orange County. Okay, I'm not going to say it
like that because you also latina yeas maol. Now let's
(02:58):
go back to the story. So they fly into San Clementy,
and in San Clementy they fly under the nose of
immigration officers and into La.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Into holly Wood, and there, in a shady alleyway, they
unload their contrabando from the tires of their car, literally
pounds and pounds of weed, and they get themselves what
paid honey.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
But then comes La Brecion. Emilio tells Comedia it's been
real and says he's going back to his other lady
friend in San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But hell has no fury like a bitch done dirty honey.
So Camelia pulls out her nine and like Rihanna at
Emilio honey.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
By the way, should we be translating these songs into
English for another kind of podcast? Was this shit is fire?
Okay it is? It's dangerous now. It wasn't just three
pop pop pops. It was seven gunshots, to be exact.
And when the please get to the crime scene, they
find the pistol, but that's the last trace they find
(04:05):
of Camellia Latjana bitch.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
We from Texas. So you know what, they ain't ever
gonna find her because we hide in her well. Okay, okay,
at least in the song, because in real life, Camelia
la Tehana is about to blow up everybody's feet.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Los Gres had a hit on their hands, and it
seems like they knew it because they tried recording it
several different ways, in several different arrangements. They even tried
making it a duet, which happened to be a trend
in gorridos at the time.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
But the final version has Horquez singing solo in the
classic corridosteas, and.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
The song became a smash hit that far exceeds the
Thegus Wildest Dreams. The record dominated Spanish language radio records
flew off the shelves, Camellia became a folk icon. I
mean she was like Bonnie, she.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Literally was, and those thegis became a household name for
Mexicanos on either side of the border.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
After Camellia La Tejana came to life in film adaptations
and sequel songs, it became clear that Contrabando i Tracion
kicked off a revival of the corrido. But this revival
would make the original writer of the song, Ahil Gonzalez
a little uneasy.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's because this isn't yourr abuelles corrido.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Rather than romantic tales of revolutionary Mexican heroes and their
historical exploits, the new corridos aka narco corridos were tales
of drug smuggling, wealth and bloodshed.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
A little scorsese, a little gangster rap.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And alongside the explosion of narco corridos, los digres del
Norte would rise to international fame and fortune and become
the subject of intense scrutiny in their homeland. That's today,
on becoming an icon. I'm your host, Liliana Osca and.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm Joseph Carrio and this is Becoming an Icon.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
A weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on
how today's most famous Latin V stars have shaped pop culture.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
And given the world some extra tuble.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Sit back and get comfortable.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Because we are going in the only way we know
how with Buenos Viras, I'm.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Buenas Riesas and a lot of opinions as we relive
their greatest achievements on our journey to find out what
makes them still iconic. On the heels of Contrabando Tracion
(06:47):
los Figres Fever Gripped Mexico.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Our four farm boys went from playing bars in San
Jose to playing on Simpre and Domingo, a Mexican TV
show that showcased the biggest stars of.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
The Momenta Mexican and Sullivan, who you literally have no
cultural history when it comes to white things, white people,
white music. No, I know You're Latino through and through.
The point is everybody watched the show, including my dear Wilita,
(07:19):
God Rest her soul. Their family back in Drossa Mourada
even turned it on with their mother carrying their new
baby brother, Luis in her arms.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Contrabandrecon was an instant classic. Los Figoe has even recorded
a sequel years later, Jan Contarna Camilia. Because if fans
love anything, it's a.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Universe, and Las Figura has had one with figures like Camellia,
La Tejana and Labanda del Carojo. But while the sensationalism
of these characters made waves, the band's staying power came
from their deep connection to the people.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Links the band's success, to quote the songs that people live,
the events that happen every day. So it wasn't all
gunfights in gangster gland. They sing about every day hint
the strogles too.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And especially every day Mexicanos here in the States, because
remember those das were undocumented for much of their career,
and before their breakout, they were out in the fields.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
They sang from their own experience, and they sang about
what they saw others going through.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Just look at La, their song from nineteen eighty four.
It's from the pov of an undocumented immigrant reflecting on
a decade of life in the United States.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
He remembers bringing his kids over the border and how
sad he is that they can't remember what Mexico was
like meanwhile, he can never forget.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
He can make money in this land, but he can't
risk going back to his home without the right papers.
He's in a golden cage.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh nahow la. This was a reality for all whole
ass generation of Mexicanos entering the US, and it just
so happened to be the biggest generation of Mexican immigrants
Grengorlandia had ever seen.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Because once upon a time, the US actively sought out
Mexican immigrants through the Brasseto Program, an initiative aimed at
addressing labor shortages from World War Two.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
The program lasted until the mid nineteen sixties and brought
four point five million Mexican workers into the States. Can
you imagine if they did this now? Genuinely I cannot.
And this was the biggest influx of documented and undocumented
immigrants in history. And they were all staking out new
lives in the US while sending money home. And the
(09:31):
crazy thing is Los Thedias were right there with them,
working to pay for their dad's surgery. But I can
see why some people might feel kind of icky about
the narco corridos, Like these Gemingos already think we're bringing drugs,
But why are you singing songs about it?
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Not just singing songs about it, but singing songs that
glorify it. That is, if you side with the critics.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Is that what they said about loss?
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Well, over the years, Mexican radio stations have actually banned
Los Degres songs under the pretense that they promote and
glorify Narco culture.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
The songs being Contrabandorecion, El Gato Felix, lavand Del Vivos.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Right, and it's also worth pointing out two of those
songs aren't about los narcos. El Gato Felix is about
the death of a journalist who turned up the heat
on the government, while Vivan los Mojados is a song
that honors undocumented migrants. I also have to point out
that is a reclamation of an old slur, which I
still to this day hate saying.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
So basically, you're saying that Narco staff was an excuse
to censor other ships.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Right, Let's take
a look at one of their biggest songs about Narco,
El Hefe the Hefes.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I love that song.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I know you. I was like, you are the heffe
the heafes. So the song's narra is Felix Gayardo, the
founder of Guadalajara's first cartel. The lyrics if you will, Joseph.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I'm the boss of bosses, Senoris. I am respected at
all levels. You'll never see my name or my photo
in the papers because journalists love me, and if they don't,
they lose my friendship.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Okay, So friendship here meaning goodwill. So he's basically saying,
if you print my name.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Then blah blah blah. Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
He goes on to say that his line of work
is cost him and that those who have tried to
touch his crown have died doing so.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Like I didn't want to do it, but I had
to mm hmmm.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
And out running the government is a game for him,
and he grants favors to important people. He's simultaneously the
tree that provides them shade and the hot sun that
would otherwise bear down on them.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I mean that does sound like a cartel boss. It
sounds less glam and more accurate. Wait, if people like
e heve went after journalists for exposing them, why was
it okay for Los cigras to sing about them?
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Well, Gaiatoga went to prison a long before that song
came out. But when Losigas sang about narticles at large,
they changed all of the names and details about their subjects.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
So it was more like if you know, you know,
but like everyone knows about the Cartels.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
No, I mean, the power and influence of Cartel's was
not a secret by the time radio stations started to
censor Los Figras, and that's something the group stands firm about.
Ernan Ernandez the basis said, the public knows that we
sing about reality. If there were a revolution, we would
sing corrillos about the revolution. It can't cover the sun
(12:47):
with your finger. By the way, I'm stealing that quote.
Hold on, wait, this is giving some Daddy Yankee flashbacks.
They want to shut down.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
A narco corrillos, just like the government in Puerto Rico
wanted a censor and phone.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
And sometimes they succeed. Radio stations across Mexico entered into
quote unquote voluntary agreements, promising not to play the music,
sometimes at the behest of the government, sometimes on their own.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
But lostigs still got huge with or without the airplay.
Jorca said in an interview that quote every time they
banned a song, it's sold more people like what's prohibited,
which is why a case of OG four loco would
get you stacks on the dark web.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
How do you know shit like this, Joseph, what you think?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I don't know about the dark web.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
No, I'm saying, are you buying the locos? Or are
you so like that?
Speaker 2 (13:43):
For to keep the specifics of my Negotio's as the mic,
Thank you and please anyway.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
The censorship of narco corridos continues to this day. Just
last year, the state of the Wana banned Narco Corridos
from the airwaves in response to the popularity of Corrido
to other the artists like Bessel Bluma. Back in the
year two thousand, the president of the Society of Writers
of Mexico argued, the state governments have made a mistake.
(14:09):
They want to sanction the consequence and not the cause.
They believe that by banning the sale of CDs in stores,
or by not allowing goridos to be heard on the
radio and television, they will stop the phenomenon of drug trafficking.
The phenomenon is deeper. The gorrido doesn't cause it, It
simply reflects it.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Boom facts.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
This is always the conversation happening, which is chicken or egg. Right,
It's the simplest way to look at it is that
I am not here for glorifying Natical culture. I mean,
I can honestly say that I have never watched an
entire episode of the show Natkos on Netflix, and people
think it's wild that I've never seen it. I'm like,
(14:50):
why because I'm Mexican. Oh, I just don't need to
watch it because I think what happens is when you
put these images into the world, people use it as
a stereotype, right, Like we have enough to fight against
as Mexicans, I don't need to also be fighting eighteen
seasons of narticles on Netflix. Like there's more to an
entire country than just this show. So I don't know,
(15:12):
I just it's not for me.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Well, here's the thing with at least their music, I
just kind of feel like they aren't telling you that
they want the bitches and hosts. They're giving kind of
a point of view. They're just kind of saying what's around,
you know what I mean, Like in a situation, they're
never saying it's them. They're never saying they are trying
to achieve this, so I feel like they're not really
(15:36):
like supporting it, like they're just stuck in that situation.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yes, I hear you, and I'm not saying listen, let
me be very clear. I am not saying that the
music from Las Vegos is creating the same issues that
shows like Narcos or Griselda Orrina rel Sur is creating.
I am not saying that at all. I think that
the music is more of a reflection of what is
(16:01):
happening in our culture right, and I think that's not
for them to fix. They're artists. They're reflecting what they
say back to us.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
And what makes that cool is that, like, for example,
they said they saw something, right, they saw this woman.
We're going to say her name is Griselda or whatever
her name is, and then all of a sudden people
took that and they elaborated it, and then they made
a movie of something Griselda. Yeah, that's how impactful. And
they're not talking about themselves or their girlfriend named Griselda.
They're saying, we saw this bitch named something, and this
(16:31):
is what she was up to, and now people are
making movies of it. Like they're just telling you what's
going on?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Right, and Lastygas can't pick and choose who likes their music.
They can't be like, oh, sorry, not goals, don't listen
to our albums. You know that they can't do that,
Like people find your music that like it, and you
can't control the audience. It's also it's a story as
old as time, Like we've been talking about easter eggs. Right,
you talk about Taylor Swift's music, we all think that
she's talking about John Mayer, she's talking about Travis Kelcey,
(16:56):
or she's talking about Matt Healy, Like you don't actually
know who the fuck she's talking about because she's Taylor
Swift and the only person that knows what she's talking
about is Taylor Swift. So you've got to let artists
be to some degree and take creative liberty with their
lyrics and their music. And that's what they were doing.
If you, as their adoring fans, want to interpret what
they're saying, then you can. But if the artist is
(17:16):
saying that's not what it's about, it's not what we support,
you kind of have to take them at their word,
or if you don't want to, just don't listen to
the music. This is all very complicated and it's often
used to draw pretty big conclusions and accusations. For example,
that THEGIS music was a tool.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
For recruiting listeners into cartelss are ulswan record that they've
never been paid to write a song for a cartel
boss or play any private shows for night clost which
listeners should know that is a state.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Oh yeah, it's a whole ass thing. I mean, there
are music videos produced by the cartels, but there's also
really famous popular music acts that are paid like hundreds
of thousands of dollars to perform at Natcal parties. I'm
talking about parties for the cartels, but I'm also talking
about their kids keep singing yet as like their kids baptism.
(18:13):
I mean, this is the thing, I think one of
the most famous rumors, and I'm just going to call
it an allegation. It was alleged that Jenny Rivera used
to perform for narticles before, of course, her tragic death
in that plane crash. So this is the thing that
happens all over Mexico. And it's not huge acts. Sometimes
(18:34):
it's smaller acts that maybe we don't know that are
more regional. But the cartels are definitely funding a lot
of musical performances. It's like when Beyonce went to Dubai
to perform for that hotel, like that level of shit.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
But for all the.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Association between those Thetis and narco corridos, eldest at Mano
Jorge insists that they don't sing narco corridos.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
He told PBS quote, we do not worship rug toughers.
We do not sing narco corridos. We only sing corridos.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Like we heard earlier for Los Figers. Corridos are simply
the truth. When little brother Ed Nunn mentioned singing about
a revolution, he was throwing it back to the Mexican
Revolution because in those days, corridos were a form of journalism.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Or x fka Twitter, which ain't perfect. You might get
some tea that even a tabloid wouldn't touch, but that
doesn't always mean it's for real.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Right, There are plenty of narco corridos that have painted
Los Narracos in a glamorous light, and they still do.
But as Lospigers themselves have pointed out, banning their music
has only made people more eager to find it and
listen to it. So all in all you can feel
for Anhil Gonzalez, the writer of Gondraban Utracion, He must
(19:49):
have felt as though he let a genie out of
a bottle.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Is someone hinting to our next.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Icon Tranguilo traquilo? Gu We've still got an epina half
with our boys, and they're about to hit some major
bumps in the road, Joseph, have you ever had a
(20:16):
loved one fall under the spell of somebody they trust?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Girl? My friend Rashida still has a title subscription out
of loyalty to Quimby.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Ugh, that's dire. Can you get her off that?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Try?
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Well, what we're about to talk about is a little
different than making questionable streaming choices. So we've seen how
Art Walker you mean, you Grant. We've seen how Los
Manager really did seem to have their interest at heart.
Hoda even said he saw him like a surrogate father
in the US.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
He told him that they could be bigger and better,
and he really did help them get there.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
In the seventies, Las Vega's popularity exploded faster than even
he could imagine. That's why Art was in the market
for a little help.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Smart move. If you know how to look for the
right person.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Right and unfortunate, Arturo Caminante would walk right into the
arms of the wrong guy.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
With all the sterious strangers in this story, one of
them was bound to be a bad one.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
And this is probably the most mysterious stranger of them
all because we don't even know his name. I know, publicly,
Los Thegoes have only ever referred to the man as
El Italiano, the Italian. I mean no disrespect to Italians,
it's just the only specific detail Lostigias I've ever mentioned
(21:41):
about this guy.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
It's just like their corridos. They don't name names, but
they make everything sound cool and western.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
According to Ernan Ernandez, the Italian joined Los Figos' business
to say it with me now without a contract, fam,
when are we gonna learn? I mean, Latinos get lawyers.
Do not be signing fabels without reading. Okay, mom, I'm
talking to you mom. Hello. Now. This arrangement was strictly
(22:14):
quote unquote honor system, and the boys could kind of
tell something wasn't right.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I bet they wondered why they didn't have more money
to bring to the telegraph office.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
And they've never gotten into specifics about what rubbed them
the wrong way about the Italian, but most agree it
was money honey. And so after their time with Art
and the Italian, which included ten albums and several movie appearances,
the group parted ways with both of them in the
late seventies.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
And that's a rap for Hugh Grant. Another said goodbye
for a group that already had to leave their whole
family behind in Sinaloa, And.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It turned out to be a pretty messy goodbye because
the Italian sued Los Digres and claimed ownership of the
band's name.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
And catalog, movies, got everything else Old West Vibes, chart
topping smash hits, and now a court room drama.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Three years of courtroom drama that's longer than Free Brittany
and Los Figras countersuit, And in the end, the judge
ruled in Los Figras's favor, giving Los Figras full ownership
of their own catalog and total creative control, making eldest
brother Jorge.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Eljefe the hef pe Sennors come back in my shade.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Basking in your shade, by the way, is the highlight
of my week. Maybe that should be my corrida name
la sombra. Ooh what are we doing this? Okay, let's
do corrido names. Okay. So if you're Las Sombra, what
am I?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
You're La Bigonia because you thrive in my shade.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Oh my god, Las Sombra Legona bo hold the phone?
Does one of us kill the other?
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Like Cora? That is a mystery.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Listeners, Never get into drug smuggling with someone who's only
in it for the drama. And always read your contracts. Hmm,
and make sure everyone you work with has a contract. Anyway,
I'm back to Los Vegas. Portree was now more than
just the band leader. He was the manager for the
whole band, but his leadership was about to get tested.
(24:35):
Los Figoes were on top of the world and had
no one holding them back.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
They toured across Mexico, the US, and all across Central
and South America.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
And beginning with the nineteen eighty seven Grammys, I Lospegiras
became regular nominees.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Their first Grammy nominated album was Eleotro Mexico, and the
opening track is kind of perfect for that.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
It goes no mechan I came here by necessity. It's
a node to all the Mexicans, from doctors and engineers
to village elders who came here as Braseros, sending practically
everything they earned back home.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Elotro Mexico is the Mexico that Braseros built through blood,
sweat and tears. The Mexico Los cidre isknew from picking
tomatoes in Sinaloa and daylighting as gardeners in San Jose
while playing music, and.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
The following year, nineteen eighty eight, they would win their
first Grammy for Best Mexican American Performance with Gracias America
sin Fronterra's Thank You America without Borders. But the eighties
were not without challenges for Los Fires. Before recording their
Grammy winning album Lupe Olivio, their sax player would quit
(25:47):
the band due to health problems.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Luckily, the band had yet another musical brother to count on, Eduardago,
born in nineteen sixty four. I feel like there's enough
brothers in this family to form a cape group.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
They'd be the t Gres like t hyphen Gres.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I hate you. Okay, see this is why we leave
K pop to Korea.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Okay, Damn Las sombratrude to his name.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Anyway, the new and youngest Data would soon have more
responsibility than he bargained for. Jore himself fell ill and
couldn't sing for a year and asked eduardol to take
the mic.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So backstage, just as they were about to go on,
the band asks Luardo to save the day and take
the mic.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Well, okay, we don't know that that's how it happened.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Okay, but it's fun to imagine. Can I bitch imagine.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Whether or not Eduardo had a Hollywood moment. He did
bring something new to the band, a yearning voice that
was perfect for romantic ballads. Case in point, the nineteen
eighty seven classic La Perta Negra off of Americas in Fronterras.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I know the song because my grandpa paid the accordion.
No way, I have one at my house.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Yeah, do you play the accordion?
Speaker 2 (27:01):
I did when I was little, but I own one
because he left it to me.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Oh that's sweet.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
And I would always request this song when I was little.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Can I tell you that one of my favorite pastimes
when I'm in like a deep TikTok scroll or an Instagram, Like,
I literally look at like Mexicans dancing to this fucking song.
It is the cutest thing ever because it's always like
old people, and there's always like a real short Mexican
guy and then like.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
I just love it so much.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
It's just it's really cute, like Mexicans fucking get down
to Leveward that Negata and it's always like again it's
like a short Mexican guy and then like a big
tall Mexican woman.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
You know what, bitch, Mexicans love forbid in love. They
just they just love something like you know what I mean,
They just love it to be so like star Crossed.
We love the drama, like we live.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
It's really cute because people have all ages danced to
it and it's just I just love it like they
like we love love. We love to dance, and it's
so bouncy and like when you see these guys on
the street, you like, don't think that they can fucking
throw down, and then you see them and they hear
that accordion and they're like fucking usher on roller skates. Okay.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
And you know the crazy thing is that I always
wanted my grandpa to sing, but he only always played
the accordion. And I feel like with this song in particular,
like the voice was so different than anything before. Los
Digtees like this one was like I don't want to
say whiny, but it was just kind of like longer, right,
do you know what I mean? It was a little
more nasally.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Oh, I mean totally. I mean you're talking about it.
It's a completely different singer, right, Like this is the
water those sound this is his voice, and I think
since it's kind of his first like he was trying
to make his mark and kind of put his stamp
on what the sound of Los Figres would be with
him at the helm.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
You know what, on the next episode, I'm going to
bring my accordion.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
I would love nothing more for you to create. You
need to grace these airways with your accordinator skills. On
the next Becoming an Icon, a solo by Joseph Garrio.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
It's true.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
So Losvegaas added heartbreak to their repertoire, but a few
years later, the brothers would experience a different sort of heartbreak.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I think I know what's coming.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
In the early nineties, just before Los Thegas were set
to go on stage, they received the news that their father,
Don Eduardo Ernandez, had passed away.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Los Degas had done a lot to help their dad's injury,
but in the end, cancer took his life.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Heartbroken, the group debated whether they should go on or
head home to their family. Immediately, over an hour of
mournful deliberation, they heard the roar of the crowd, unaware
of the tragedy and demanding they go on.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Then the news reached the crowd and they went quiet.
The band heard this show of respect and decided to play.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
They saying with lumps in their throats and tears in
their eyes. The next day, they headed to San Jose,
where the family had relocated, to say goodbye to Don Eduardo.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
He was their whole reason for coming to the US.
Their whole journey started with him, and then he was gone.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
If there's any comfort, it's that they were able to
take care of him. Their journey wasn't in vain, and
they even got to bring him to the States. And
at least the brothers had each other right for a time.
But a couple of years later, in nineteen ninety five,
Raoul decided to part ways with the band and go solo.
The lone He was like the JT of losches, and
(30:40):
by the way, that is what they called him today.
Raoul had wanted to record a mariachi banda album featuring
Sinelo and musicians.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
But the rest of the band wasn't interested.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
We're Nathaniels. They told him that's the kind of music
they had always played and that they wanted to continue playing.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
So Rool was out. There couldn't be another brother, could there?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
There? Sure is, Joseph. This is like the Partridge Family
Mexican style. Yeah, okay, and by the way, we've already
met him.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Wait what rewind the tape? I totally missed this. I
think I had an herbal refreshment like something. Anyways, Sorry, Joseph.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
That's all the time we have today, so you and
all of you will have to wait to listen till
next week. On the next Becoming an Icon, Youstigre's youngest
member joins the band, giving us the lineup we know
and love today. Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoo
(31:50):
and Iheart's Michael Guda podcast network. Listen to Becoming an
Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you
get your I Guiness A book
Hosts And Creators
Lilliana Vazquez
Joseph Carrillo
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