Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity varies by region. Subgenres include banda, duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mexico music, Norteño, Sierreño, Tejano, and Tierra Caliente.[1] It is among the most popular radio formats targeting Mexican Americans in the United States.[2][3][4]
Regional Mexican
Similarly to country and sertanejo music, artists of regional Mexican subgenres are often characterized by their use of Western wear and denim clothing.[5]
History[edit]
16th century - 20th century: Origins[edit]
Many different subgenres of regional Mexican have their origins in the 16th to 18th centuries. Indigenous, African, and Spanish instruments and styles mixed together to create these genres of music.[6] For example, mariachi originated in the state of Jalisco around the 18th century.[7] The mariachi genre is distinguished by its use of the vihuela, guitarrón, trumpet, and violin.[8]
Other genres developed later in the 20th century. An example being the ranchera. Ranchera is a traditional style of regional Mexican formed during the Mexican Revolution.[9] Today, it can be performed in the vast majority of regional Mexican subgenres in several different time signatures.
1940s - 1960s: Rise of Mariachi[edit]
The popularity of regional Mexican music, increased internationally from the 1940s to 1960s with the addition of the many regional Mexican soundtracks used in films.[3] Pedro Infante was one of many who helped popularize the genre in the 1950s during the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.[10] Regional Mexican boleros, specifically boleros accompanied with mariachi, were also popular around this time. Beginning in the 1940s, regional Mexican music gained popularity in Chile through the use of radio and television.
1970s – 1980s: Popularity of mariachi[edit]
In the 1970s, the mariachi genre and ranchera style began to increasingly spread into the United States. Many popular mariachi singers during this time include Vicente Fernández and Antonio Aguilar.
Related formats[edit]
Uforia Audio Network owns a number of stations running the regional Mexican format.[1] Television channels Bandamax and Video Rola are dedicated to transmitting programming relating mainly to the regional Mexican genre. In Mexico, there are many radio stations solely dedicated to regional Mexican music and some with certain subgenres. Regional Mexican stations are available in the U.S. mostly targeting the Mexican American population.