Norteño

The northern region of México, especially the states bordering Texas in the United States (and within Texas itself), features a tradition that developed a bit later than most of the regional forms throughout the country. With the migration of many Germans to the area during prohibition in the U.S., the accordion music along the Texas-Mexican border gave birth to one of the country's most popular forms into the 21st century: música norteña.

The German migrants brought their beer-halls and their accordion music of polkas and waltzes, and soon a marriage occurred with the Mexican country music of the period—música ranchera—which was mainly accompanied on guitar. The 12-string guitar relative known as the bajo sexto emerged and joined the button accordion, producing an ideal format for a modest music that reflected the humble country life. The repertoire of the genre featured the simple country song form known as the ranchera as well as the revolutionary corrido, and several well-known Mexican songs were born, including "Cielito Lindo."

By the late 1930s and early '40s, musicians began to expand the duet format with American drum-set and sometimes a saxophone, paving the way for the Texas-Mexican conjunto, an ensemble still widely used today. In certain groups, the bajo sexto was "split up" allowing for two musicians: a bassist and a guitarist. By the 1950s, the term "Tex-Mex" was born, as record companies saw the marketing potential of this music to a large Mexican-American community that had migrated north since the early 20th century in search of better opportunity. Early accordion pioneers such as Narciso Martínez and guitarist/singer Lydia Mendoza set the tone for the many conjuntos to follow as Mexicans in the U.S. found comfort in a music they called their own.

By the 1960s, many groups explored the crossover potential of música norteña or Tex-Mex to new generations of Mexican-Americans, many of who did not speak Spanish. Artists such as Flaco Jiménez incorporated blues and other "American" elements into his style, and for many, the music was their only link to their Mexican heritage, as Chicanos felt the discrimination among their U.S. neighbors. Soon, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans migrated further northwest into Arizona, New Mexico and California, and música norteña moved along with them. Today it is one of the most successful forms of regional Mexican music, with groups such as Los Tigres del Norte (who live in northern California) and others making huge strides (and selling out stadiums), preserving a tradition dating back nearly 100 years. —Rebeca Mauleon