Ten of the greatest Tejano
Music songs ever recorded!
Having grown up in the industry I have had the pleasure of listening to quite a bit of music some really good, some not so good, some utterly horrible, and some that are just fantastic. Very few songs make your spine tingle and force you to dance. Ever noticed how some of the songs you dance too are due to either a really good beat or the amount of alcoholic beverages you have in your system? Now have you ever experienced a moment where you are sitting there unaware then a song comes on and it’s just the greatest Tejano Music
1. Rene Rene
This song is awesome… Need I say more? It’s Rene Rene… It’s Lo Muncho Que Te Quero… If this song doesn’t make you tingle I don’t know what will. Find it on iTunes 
.
2. Carlos Miranda
Carlos Miranda – the man is a vocal miracle, to be able to have the range he has is insane. This type of talent is rarely found. This song just says it all. The man is a legend.
3. Little Joe Hernandez
This song speaks to the people, the reflections of our past working the fields and many consider this the anthem of los chicanos. Find it on iTunes .
4. Sunny Ozuna
What more can I say? Not only was it the first Chicano/Tejano song that became #1 nationally but opened the doors for our artists to be heard. It was also the first Chicano/Tejano song to be performed on American Band Stand.
5. La Mafia
One of the greatest groups to come out of the Houston area, La Mafia not only gained huge renown in Tejano Music but also appealed to the greater international music market opening the flood gates for future Tejano Artists. Find it on iTunes .
6. La Fiebre
This song broke the charts and created a legendary group by the name of La Fiebre. Coming out of Pasedena, Texas this song speaks to the testament of great Tejano music. Find it on iTunes .
7. Mazz
Joe Lopez and Jimmy Gonzalez at their best. And the name is an exact expression of my feelings toward this song and group. I will never forget you. Find it on iTunes .
8. Elida Reyna
Possibly one of the greatest displays of a female vocalist combined with a mariachi. Just listen and you can feel the power.
9. Elsa Garcia
Not to many people pay credit where credit is due and Elsa is a great example. This song not only reached the top of the charts and knocked off some of the greats but it also helped establish ground for future female vocalist. Find it on iTunes .
10. Jaime Y los Chamacos
One of the most entertaining and crowd pleasing groups of the past couple of decades. These guys not only put on a phenomenal show but their music was spectacular. Find it on iTunes .
Please be advised that this is not a complete list of the greatest Tejano Music songs ever recorded but a growing list. We encourage you to voice your opinion and provide us with your thoughts on which songs should be included.
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Como Te Llamas Paloma by Angel Flores y Los Alacranes is far better then the Chamacos version. I used to play the Angel Flores version in a West Texas radio station and believe me its way better.
There’s nothing about Selena. On your list. What?!? Hello, La Reina? Ring a bell? She was, after all, the artist that brought Tejano back to mainstream Latin music.
MAN!!!!! JAY PEREZ should be the only one on the list. He is the best out of all those Tejano artist. Emilo who?? Jay is LA VOZ and the man!!!
I’ve been listening to Tejano music since the early 60′s living in the Rio Grande Valley and listening to Paulino Bernal’s Baile Grande at the McAllen Civic Center,and it wasn’t called musica chicana,Tex Mex or Tejana,there really wasn’t a name for it,dances throughout the Rio Grande Valley called it polkas rancheras,and the reason was obvious,tejano conjuntos would copy a song written or composed by mexico’s songwriters like,Chucho Sanchez,Jose Alfredo Jimenez or Agustin Lara en change the beat from Mariachi to polka.Carried to other states by migrant Tejanos who made their living by working in the fields it grew in popularity,soon almost every state had a least a city with a hall that played polkas rancheras,The name Tejano started being used later because of it’s place of origen,During the chicano movement several bands like Little Joe used the music to help the cause,that’s why some people might call it chicano music,But it even though there are great bands now coming out of Michigan,Ohio,California,Utah,Illinois,Wisconsin and other states, it will always be Musica Tejana,and there’s no better example of how Tejanos lived worked and died with this music than Don Luis El Tejano
im 19 years old and was brought up listening to tejano music i have every thing from jay perez n latin breed 2 siggno solido every thing i love tejano music it will never die as long as we keep it in our cultre youngsters like me need 2 hear sum of this music instead of the soulja boys and lil waynes who kno nothing about music well any ways if any of yall find any good songs i should add 2 my collection msg me on my webpage http://www.myspace.com/bigloc505
What I would consider a top 15 list would be: Las Botellas – Ruben Ramos. Las Nubes – Little Joe. Senorita Cantinera – Roberto Pulido. El Pintor – Hometown Boys. Cuatro Caminos – Laura Canales. La Voy a Olvidar – Los Desperadoz. La Rama Del Mezquite – Ramon Ayala. Cruz De Madera – Michael Salgado. Ya Te Vi – Elsa Garcia. Que Creias – Selena. Don Luis El Tejano – Latin Breed. Gabino Barrera – Mazz. Porque – Eddie Gonzalez. Duele – Elida Reyna. Tu Recuerdo y Yo – Joe Posada.
We recently promoted a dance with latin breed and it was pack. Tejano is all about being proud of who you are and where you come from. Not to say its the best dancing music for couples.
tejano is dead bro get over that shit we in 2010 not 1980s
does anyone out here remember a song by the teardrops, called pledge of love, it goes something like this; to you my love I will be true, my pledge of love, (I danced to it at my 12th birthday party in the 60′s many many many moons ago, I would like to hear this song again before I am 60, can someone like from the teardrops help, thanks
i remember a song named hello babydolls.a great song that i thought would have been a great one. what was the name of that band.
The indusrty is dying because we don’t support La Onda. Yes there is alot of new Talent out there, and we need to support it. Although, there are show Bands and there is Music, just depends on your flavor. LITTLE JOE, RUBEN RAMOS are two artist that really are still playing the Chicano Onda. Don’t get me wrong there are what I call the LITTLE GIANTS, Bands that hold LA ONDA together at local dances, and we need to Support them, no matter what your flavor is. If it wasn’t for them La Onda would be dead. Johnny “Aztlan” Hernandez is my brother and he is still playing. He doesn’t play your new style reggeton or cumbia Brazilliana, His style is Chicano, John has recorded with various labels, including SONY EMI. He sings from his Heart and sings to the people, Thats what a real artist is suppose to do. Music is just another way of communication, just depends on how you want to communicate. As everyone knows even our language has change. I grew up with Little Joe, Ruben Ramos, La Justicia, Monsanto, Pio Trevinio, Los Peppers, Roberto Pulido, Latin Breed, Los Farias and of course La Orquesta Aztlan and many other Chicano Artist.I remember Grama always had her radio at home on San Antonio’s KEDA or KCOR. That was her thing and we grew up with it. Back then we were, Mexicanos, wanting to be Americanos, we then grew-up Chicanos. Now Tejanos, What’s next? SUPPORT OUR MEXICAN CULTURE, THAT’S WHO WE ARE. BOTTOM LINE.
I’m a big Tejano fan, that has been listening to this type of music since the early 70′s. I know then it was call Musica Chicana, then Tex-Mex followed by Musica de Onda in the early 80′s to where we are at Tejano music. It’s hard to say which are the best top 10 Tejano greatest songs recorded. Everyone has their own opinion, but I do believe Little Joe/Johnny Y la familia fit well in that catagory. Sunny & the Sunliners fit in the top ten, but it should be a different song like Carino Nuevo or some of his old songs. I continue to support Tejano music as I am a Tejano music collector with way over a thousand albums and cd’s. There are alot of young bands playing Tejano music that don’t get exposed, because DJ’s continue playing old school Tejano or bands that don’t exist any more. We are not exposing the new generation Tejano bands that can continue keeping Tejano music alive. I live in El Paso, Tx. where there in no Tejano music in the radio. We rarely have Tejano bands come to our city. Most of our young generation do not know Tejano music or like it because they are not exposed to it. Instead they are exposed to Mexican music across the border, and make fun of our Tejano music. Thank God for Tejano internet, or else we would be shit out of luck to listen it. We need to expose Tejano music to the young generation starting at a very early age just as it was exposed to us, to keep Tejano music alive. Que viva Tejano music.
In no way are these the only best songs in Tejano music. As the article states this is just Ten of the best. There are tons of great music, and we will be glad to add more to the site in the future. This article is just a beginning.
I kinda of disagree with some of the songs posted. As Big Perro commented, according to who are these the best tejano songs. As for the number one spot I would have chosen one by Emilio Navaira, Agustin Ramirez or even La Sombra. Elsa and Elida had great hits but how about Selena and Laura Canales. Rene Rene’s song was and is a great song but come on as your number one. We will never agree as to which are the best tejano songs of all time. That’s why it’s great to voice our opinion. But let’s not forget of other great tejano groups that rocked the house during their heydays. Fama , Culturas, Roberto Pulido, Steve Jordan, La Movida, and Pio Trevino to name a few. Que viva la musica tejana.
I grew up in the time that there was either conjunto: Bernal, mague casares, tony de la rosa, Joey Lopez(joey records) to name a few and orchestra: Isidro Lopez, Freddie Martinez, Sunny& the Sunglows. La musica was regional, each band had their own characteristic and flavor. What has destroyed la musica regional,now called Tejana.There are so many bands with so much talent and I have a collection of records, tapes,cassettes, vhs that date back to the 50′s that all they do is imitate one another, the problem is not romantic songs but,the willingness for a band to go out and record their own style, instead of trying to blend in. We need to support the new musicians, for they are our future. In the past few years that I have traveled to Tejas there were few radio stations to be found on the airways and the bands playing in texas are either banda or some music from Ecuador or Chile. If Tejano music is going to live, all of us need to get involved by jamming the radio waves with requests or supporting the dances, or concerts.Viva Tejano para siempre.
Selena’s song como la flor should be on this list not ya te vi
hey one of the greatest song of tejano music that people alway give
the credit to antonio aguilar recorded in 1986 and ramon ayala that recorded in 1985 is raul de anda and los chamacos puno de tierra that
was realeased in 1979 under border town records houston record label
name of the lp next generation that lp includes paloma negra and
that i still have that lp
I’m a Tejano fan since birth on an internet search
of CD’s as a gift for Mother’s Day– and I was deeply
disappointed to see guys looking like gangsters
(wearing headbands and dark shades, baggy clothes)
playing music under the label Tejano when their
sound is anything but that. True musica Tejana makes
you want to dance on a huge dance floor to corridos,
rancheras, and juapangos until you just can’t anymore!
This other “wave your hand in the air” stuff is for
concert-goers. Being out here in California stops me from
attending the bailes happening all over Texas. . . but I pray that TRUE Tejano stays alive until I can make a trip back again.
Cynthia C.
Some people think that Tejano music is going away, but I work the music every day and can tell you that even if those who grew among the Tejano music style are now retiring or not that much in the market, their siblings who remember the traditions of their parents, they are coming back in great numbers, because the memories left in their hearts.
Tejano yes is been displaced and is not growing at the same pace, but eventually younger Tejano generations will take place to help preserve the traditions.
I take the opportunity to extend an invitation to you and to all your readers to visit the new “El Norteño Music” store at 3505 Wurzbach Rd. in San Antonio, TX 78238 or call 210-647-2930.
We have all the Tejano, Norteño, Ranchero and more.
As you probably know El Norteño Music initiated under the Name El Norteño Record Shop 46 years ago and is the most recognized Latin music store in South Texas.
We pride our selves for the great customer service we provide and the extent of our knowledge of the Latin music.
Hope to see you soon.
I agree with Bigperro about Tejano Music changing. Back in the late 1950′s and the 1960′s we called Texas Chicano music…Tex Mex…musica de Tejas or just plain , ” Musica mexicana” eventhough , we knew we were not Mexicanos del otro lado. The word, ” Tejano” came later after the 1970′s when Chicanos felt proud of being from descendants of Mexicans and living in Texas.
Tejano Music , in my mind, was music produced by bands like Sunny and The Sunliners,Little Joe/ Johnny Hernanez, The Sunglows, Latin Breed, Rudy and the Reno Bops, Shorty and the Corvettes, Rocky Gil and the Bishops, The Rondels and Texas conjuntos like the Pavo Reales, Los Fabulos Cuatro and Conjunto Bernal, Orchestra like Isidro Lopez,Alfonso Ramos, Anselmo Martinez and Chis Sandoval ; and what we consider today as Oldies groups such as the Royal Jester, Little Jr.Jesse and the Teardrops and Mando and the Chili Peppers.( to name just a few)These so-called doop wop band could also play Tejano Music.
The Tejano music made by syntheizers, accordian and just a basic rhythm section of Guitar, bass and drums…is getting very boring and too much of cookie cutter formula. It’s true that musicians cost money . It is difficult to mantain a 10 or fifteen piece band. Question is , Do we want GOOD MUSIC or the current Syntheized BS that is passing for Tejano Music!
Gabriel, thank you for basically backing up what I’ve been saying for a few years now. The new bands in “Tejano” aren’t even Tejano, the “Urban Cumbia” style that seems to be what’s forming over and over again isn’t true Tejano!!! Don’t get me wrong, they can play whatever they want to, and I can listen to whatever I want to but to label that style of music as “Tejano” is falsely labelled. What’s going to happen if there aren’t any more, Ram’s, Jay, DLG, Los Desperadoz, Ruben Ramos, etc… You can tell how that is looking with whats out there. Must be a big reason why the greats like Sunny Ozuna, Jimmy Edwards, etc, are coming back and packing places. That’s what the Tejano industry was built on and the turn that the industry has taken recently needs to take another turn back in the right direction. I have a blog on Google called, http://tejanomusicland.blogspot.com/ check it out and chat it out.
Later,
there are waaay better songs than those ten. man you got to put el tejano enamorado. el troquero de ruben ramos. Don luis el tejano. and many others. those 10 list are depressing bro. that isn’t real tejano. las nubes, now that’s a classic. and i’d like to take this opportunity to tell all you musicians in the tejano industry, stop with the love songs. thats what killing tejano. you all want to be like la mafia and intocable. they suck. they aint tejano. im a hardcore tejano fan as i maybe speak for thousands if not millions of tejano fans that gave up on these new tejano musicians who all want to sound the same as la mafia and intocable. we dont like that. we want latin breed, bob gallarza, ruben ramos, jay perez musicians that can rock the house in a concert. we dont want to hear love songs in a show. come on musicians, dont let tejano die out. bring back a cumbia like el sancho de la sambra or las hijas de simon. we dont want love song cumbias they suck.. ask any tejano fan. millions of us are hungry to go out and buy new tejano music but dont have nowhere to go. all we get is depressing love songs. just a humble opinion of a hardcore tejano fan.
I love Tejano music with a passion and some of the new things that are coming out of the radio at times get’s under my skin. Mainly with the direction Tejano music is going or has already gone. I am a true Tejano fan and don’t believe that some of the younger stuff that is coming out is actually “Tejano” music. Now, being a musician myself, I listen to everything from Tejano to classical, to Frank Sinatra era music to country to rock and I like it all. My only beef is with the title given to some of the newer music out there and calling it “Tejano” music. Some of the newer music seems to be pulling away from the actual tejano style and although some of it may be good, it doesn’t seem to be what you or I would consider Tejano music. I feel that the younger groups out there are trying to pull a younger crowd and while attempting that those groups are pulling away from the actual Tejano groups. To each their own and they have the right to make their own style of music. For somebody like me that actually appreciates good, solid tejano music I don’t understand why Tejano has gone from good music and dances to groups trying to become good stage performers and change the direction of this style of music. The world is changing but the music doesn’t have to. I almost seems like it should have it’s own brand of music label and leave out “Tejano”. This is just something that I’ve been thinking about for a while. I appreciate the time you allow others to comment on your site. Gracias!!!
You have some very interesting points. As for Sunny Ozuna and the song “Talk to Me” true it doesn’t fit the typical or supposed “Tejano” style or sound. However, it was the song that got Sunny Ozuna to American Bandstand and during that era Tejano was considered or called “Chicano” Music which causes a hazy question to the ability to either call it “Tejano” or “Not-Tejano”. So considering the impact and meaning it meant to the Industry, we gave it credence and included it on the list. Also, the fact that during that era a pretty decent portion of our music was recorded in English and ruling it out of the list for that and the difference in sound would defiantly knock out a vast amount of our History. Just my opinion.
But I do thank you for posting and I really enjoy hearing from any and all. The more we speak about it the further our voice will be heard. If you agree or disagree, it’s to the benefit of our music. We both love it and we both are passionate about it, so getting more people involved in the discussion is the key to building the industry.
This list is according to who??? Las Nubes is a given, La Mafia, although I’m not a fan they were huge back in the day and they will still pack a house. Rene Rene and Carlos Miranda, you just can’t go wrong with old school and I’m 37 and I’ve been hooked on old school stuff since the late 70′s. Conjunto Bernal, Laura Canales, Steve Jordan, Royal Jesters just to name a few. Elsa Garcia, although didn’t have a lot of hits, “Ya te vi” was a great one. And you don’t hear her name much when it comes to female Tejano singers. But Los Chamacos had way better songs than the one you listed. I thought that was one of their worst ones. La Fiebre, another band that I’m not a fan of and you could have put someone else on the list, but I will say that that song is still played from time to time, and I don’t understand why but some people react to it. Sunny Ozuna is a legend but that song, techinically isn’t and wasn’t “Tejano”. The artist was but not the song. But I will agree that having him on American Bandstand years ago was monumental in putting “Tejano” on the map for people to take notice of what was out there. Just my thoughts. Have a good dia!