Banda Machos

Banda Machos, the expansive norteño ensemble from Jalisco, Mexico, have repeatedly climbed high on the charts. Working alongside Banda El Recodo, they helped originate the la quebradita movement by blending banda with ranchera and cumbia, producing a more dance-oriented version of longstanding Mexican traditions. Their first recording, the 1990 album Serían las Dos, introduced their memorable, polyrhythmic grooves. Breakthrough success arrived with 1992’s Con Sangre de Indio, which climbed to number 16 on the Mexican Regional Albums chart, earned international radio play, and supplied the visibility needed for extensive touring that soon filled large venues across Mexico and the United States. Since that period the group has registered ten albums and 14 singles on the Mexican Regional and Latin Albums charts.

In 1993 Banda Machos received Univisión’s Lo Nuestro award for Revelation of the Year in the Mexican/Regional category and later claimed a Furia Musical Award for Best Mexican Band in 1995. Their song “ZapaMambo” appeared in the 1994 film My Family produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The ensemble maintained a steady release schedule through the remainder of the 1990s and into the new millennium, frequently issuing multiple albums within a single year. Early 2006 brought 20 Mil Heridas, which earned a subsequent nomination for Best Banda Album at the Grammy Awards. Their touring pace stayed exhaustive, covering virtually every Mexican state as well as all fifty U.S. states and major European festivals. In addition, Banda Machos have recorded and performed material by veteran composers including Consuelo Velázquez, Juan Gabriel, José Alfredo Jiménez, Joan Sebastian, and Benny More, together with newer writers such as Iván Díaz, Horacio Ortíz, Luis Gutiérrez, and Roberto Valadéz.

With the 2008 album Proximo Tonto the band fully embraced digital platforms and social networks, releasing their first YouTube videos that quickly accumulated millions of views. Their collected videos have since been viewed hundreds of millions of times. Although albums appeared on charts less often, concerts continued to sell out and singles performed steadily: 2007’s “Cuatro Meses” and 2008’s “No Hay Problema” both reached the Top Ten on the Mexican Regional Songs chart, while 2009’s “El Sonidito (Ruidito)” and 2011’s “Nadie Te Toco” each landed inside the Top 40. The 2015 album Las 20 Poderosas entered the Top Ten on the Mexican Regional Albums chart and remained in the Top 40 for more than two years. In 2017 Banda Machos released Cumbias de Todo un Poco, a split album recorded with Banda Lamento Show from Durango and Banda Arkangel from Sinaloa.