Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa

One February 2, 1953, Mariachi México de Pepe Villa made its official debut on the radio program A si es mi Tierra. But the group was not really new-the night before, the same musicians had played together as Mariachi Pulido for the last time. That group, one of the most popular mariachis of the day, had been led by Pancho Pulido since the 1930s and roughly half its members had once belonged to Mariachi Vargas Vihuela player Pepe Villa had long been second in command in Mariachi Pulido, and all but three of its members followed him to Mariachi México, where he assumed the leadership.The most striking feature of this newly formed group was that it had two trumpets, which was exceedingly rare for a mariachi in the early 1950s. Determined to make this new combination work, trumpeters Miguel Martínez and Jesús Córdoba rehearsed together for many hours each day. The two-trumpet Pepe Villa introduced the two-trumpet mariachi sound mariachi style that we know today was virtually invented in those sessions.In 1954, Discos Peerless awarded Mariachi México a gold record for being one of the top-selling recording artists in the Mexican Republic during the period 1953-1954. To this date, no other mariachi group has received a similar distinction. Later that year, Mariachi México signed an exclusive contract with Discos Musart, where they continued to set phenomenal sales records, Juke boxes, phonographs, and radio stations throughout México and abroad buzzed day and night with hits like Apango Lindo, Atotonilco, Bailando Garabato, Caperucita Roja, Cielo Tlaxcalteca, La Chuparrosa, La Norteña, La Periodista, La Texanita, La Trompeta del Diablo, La Villista, Las Alteñitas, Las Coronelas, Las Costeñas, Las Cotorras, Lindas Mexicanas, Pompas Ricas, Rosas de Mayo, and Tierra Blanca.Mariachi México de Pepe Villa was the rage, and mariachi groups everywhere began adding a second trumpet and learning these novel arrangements. The group was besieged by offers for radio, television, film, recordings, public performances, and tours. By 1957, they had such an abundance of job offers and were turning down so much work that Villa decided to form a second group-Mariachi Jalisco de Pepe Villa-just to cover the engagements that Mariachi México was unable to accept. (Mariachi Jalisco was disbanded a few years later due to a rivalry that developed between the two groups.)Mariachi México de Pepe Villa maintained its popularity through the 1960s the only mariachi that attained greater renown during that period was Mariachi Vargas. Mariachi México always had a large following in the San Joaquin Valley, where the group played frequently to packed houses-most notably Fresno's Cine Azteca-from the early sixties to the late seventies.In 1970, Mariachi México began presenting shows nightly at the Mexico City nightclub La Taberna del Greco, where they remained until 1984. Also in 1970, they changed record labels, signing with Discos CBS, where they remained as the "house mariachi" for the next two decades, recording well over 1000 songs with artists as diverse as Cuco Sánchez, Las Hermanas Huerta, Gerardo Reyes, Vikki Carr, and Vicente Fernández. At CBS, they collaborated regularly with ex-group member, trumpet player/arranger Pedro Ramírez. Other distinguished Mariachi México alumni include composer/violinist Bonifacio Collazo (the group's original musical director). and violinist/vocalist Emilio Gálvez.When Pepe Villa died in 1986, Mariachi México continued under the direction of his son, Pepe Villa Jr. the Group opened two successive restaurants, El Lugar del Mariachi México (1989-92) and La Fonda del Mariachi Mexico (1993-96). Where they performed nightly. The group continues to appear frequently on television, most recently on Noches de Palenque and Tempranito. Artists they have recorded with recently include Pedro Fernández. Angeles Ochoa, Yuri, and Humberto Cravioto. On Discos PolyGram, Mariachi Mexico recently released the first seven volumes of a series of new recordings titled Antologia del Mariachi, and two more volumes are due out soon.As mariachi music moves into the next millennium, an evaluation of its past is essential to ensuring its continuation and growth in the future. No retrospective of mariachi music in the 20th century would be complete without prominent mention of Mariachi México de Pepe Villa, and a reevaluation of the ensemble's contributions is long overdue. May Pepe Villa 's legacy be carried long into the 21th century. ¡Viva el Mariachi! - ¡Viva el Mariachi México!