Want to know who some of the most famous Mexican American music artists are? Looking for information on the history of Mexican American music? Our guide to these musicians gives you the facts you want to know.
Life in Mexico cannot be imagined without music and dancing. Mexicans just have to find a reason to celebrate and that too in un-matched style. Even a large number of festivals are not enough to fill their appetite for fun, laughter and dancing.
History of Local Music
The original locals used drums, flutes, gourd rattles, sea shells and voices to make music and dances. This ancient music is still played in some parts of Mexico. However, much of the traditional contemporary music of Mexico was written during the Spanish colonial period. Folk songs called corridos have been popular in the country, since the 16th century. It may tell the story about the Mexican Revolution, Pride, Romance, Poverty, Politics and Crime issues. Folk dances are regarded to be one of the most important features of Mexican culture. The most significant of this dance tradition is the “Mexican hat dance”, known as “Jarabe Tapatío”. Traditional dancers perform a sequence of hopping steps, heel and toe tapping movements.
Contemporary Music
Today, popular musical groups known as Mariachis perform along streets, festivals and restaurants. A Mariachi group includes singers, guitar, trumpets, and violin and marimba players.
Mexican American Music Culture
Music adds cultural continuity to any immigrant group’s national, religious, and family celebrations. Mexican immigrants continued their musical traditions once they moved to the United States. The influence of music traditions from Mexico has always played an important role in the lives of Mexican immigrants as well as Americans. Particularly those people of Mexican origin who were born and raised in America helped this music culture to flourish a lot.
Throughout Mexican immigrant communities in the United States, distinctively Mexican music styles continue to grow. Although a diversity of musical styles eventually develops within all immigrant groups, traditional music usually continues within a specific sector of the immigrant community. Musica Nortena (music from north of Mexico) represents one of the major and most recognizable styles of music from Mexico. Musica nortena refers to a class of music that originated in the northern states of Mexico such as Nuevo Leon, Tamualipas, and Chihuahua, and along the U.S.-Mexico Border States.
Tejano music is also very famous and sounds more like the folk music of Louisiana known as “Cajun” music blended with the sounds of Rock and Roll, R&B, Pop, and Country with some influences of Mariachi. The American Cowboy culture and music was born from the meeting of the Anglo-American Texans who were colonists from the American South and the original Tejano Texan pioneers and their “vaquero” or “cow man” culture.
Today, the Mexican –American music is synonymous with Tejano music. It is not only famous but also is accepted worldwide. Although Mariachi, the band style singing, is also famous, but Tejano singers have reached new heights after Selena Quintanilla-Pérez put life into Tejano music
Famous Mexican American Musicians
Some famous Mexican American singers include Selena, La Mafia, Roy Benavidez, Vikki Carr, Ryan Cabrera, Jade Esteban Estrada, Freddy Fender, Hector P.Garcia and many more.The Mexican American Musicians are playing an important role as they are keeping up their tradition and providing pure entertainment.
