Augustín Ramírez

Augustin Ramirez stands as a tejano music icon whom devotees know as “El Guti.” A Grammy winner, he has earned acclaim both as a frequently covered songwriter and as a performing and recording artist whose best-loved compositions include “Ruina de Mi Corazon,” “Sangre de Indio,” and “Tres Ramitas.” Across more than eighty albums he has received national honors for his lasting impact on tejano music.

Born in Lockhart, Texas, a modest community south of Austin, Ramirez launched his career while still a teenager, sharing stages with regional acts such as Cisco Rangel y Los Jesters, Los Dominoes, Fred Salas, Los Latinos, and Roy Montelongo before striking out with his own group. His first solo effort, the 1965 El Zarape release El Barco Chiquito, featured the hit single “Ojitos Traviesos” and introduced listeners to a vocal approach that quickly drew large followings. He continued issuing numerous recordings on El Zarape—El Cautivador, El Sangre Indio, Es Tierra Chicana, and Te Quiero Carinito among them—before moving to Freddie Records in 1973, where he stayed. Standout albums from the 1970s and ’80s include No. 1 Otra Vez, Live at the Party House, and Necesito Tu Amor.

His signature composition, “Las Tres Ramitas,” received a 1995 recording by the Hometown Boys that captured Best Song of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards in San Antonio. Ramirez entered the Tejano Music Hall of Fame in 1997. Four years later he shared a Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album with fellow Legends members Sunny Ozuna, Freddy Martinez, and Carlos Guzman for their project Qué Es Música Tejana? The same collective returned with Otra Vez Raices in 2006 and earned another nomination. Since that time Ramirez has devoted himself chiefly to documenting and revisiting his vast repertoire of originals together with norteño and tejano standards while maintaining an active touring schedule across Texas. Although many hits collections exist, the multi-volume The Legendary series provides the most comprehensive overview of his output by mixing fresh interpretations with earlier material, both self-penned and borrowed; its eighth installment appeared in 2016.