Los Tigres del Norte is one of the most popular Regional Mexican norteño bands. The group helped develop the template for political corridos (ballads), for which it has occasionally been banned in Mexico. It is loved for it honest portrayals of the difficulties of immigrant life in the United States. The band has performed in many Mexican movies, some based on their hit songs.
Los Tigres del Norte in New York City
Regional Mexican Norteño
Los Tigres del Norte play Regional Mexican norteño; at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey; on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 8pm. From $45. prucenter.com 🇲🇽
Los Tigres del Norte
The band was started by Jorge Hernandez Angulo, an accordionist and singer in Mocorito, Sinaloa, México, in 1968. He was only 14 then. Like many great Latin bands, it started as a family project of the brothers Jorge, Raúl, Hernán, and cousin Óscar. The band moved up to Mexicali in Baja California, México.
An invitation to play for Cinco de Mayo in San José, California changed their lives. While crossing the border (which was not a problem then), a border agent asked the name of the band. They didn’t have a name yet, so he called them “Los Tigres” because they were young, and so they were christened, “Los Tigres del Norte.”
In San José, a producer helped them record their first album, “Juana La traicionera.” Things took off on their fifth album “Contrabando y Verdad” (1973) when saxophonist Guadalupe Olivo joined the group. He played with the band until 1988, and occasionally thereafter. The hit song “Contrabando y Verdad” was an early narco corrido about some marijuana farmers.
“La Banda del Carro Rojo” (1975) is one of their biggest hits. It helped inspire the the narco movie genre. “Era Diferente” from 2014’s “Realidades” was the first norteño LGBTQ+ love song.
The group is famous for their never-ending concerts. The longest was 12 hours.
The brothers are getting older, but their music is still great. Los Tigres del Norte is not just a Mexican norteño band, they have influenced the popular culture of both México and the United States.
Award Winning Albums
The band really came into its own with award-winning albums in 2007.
- “Gracias!…América…Sin Fronteras” won the 1998 Grammy for “Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album.”
- “Historias que contar” won the 2007 Grammy for “Best Norteño Album.”
- “Raíces” won the 2008 Grammy for “Best Norteño Album.”
- “Detalles y Emociones” won the 2009 Grammy for “Best Norteño Album.”
- “Tu Noche con los Tigres del Norte” won the 2019 Grammy for “Best Norteño Album.”
- “MTV Unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends” won the 2012 Grammy for “Best Banda or Norteño Album.”
- “Realidades (Deluxe Edition)” won the 2016 Grammy for “Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano).”
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