Grupo Pegasso

Hailing from Nuevo Leon, Mexican regional group Grupo Pegasso earned legendary status through their creation of the cumbia pegassera style. Over four decades of lineup shifts, restructurings, and divisions, they preserved the core sound they had originated. Their self-titled debut arrived in 1980 and attracted scant notice, although the single “Los Dos Amantes” registered as a regional hit. Momentum built with the 1982 album whose title track “Se Tambalea” delivered a commercial breakthrough; soon afterward the keyboardist and drummer departed. By the time the third album, El No Te Quiere, appeared in 1983, the band had become a recognized presence throughout northern Mexico for its danceable approach and had begun touring the United States. In 1985 the ensemble fractured into two separate units. All members except founding bassist Frederico Esteban continued under Emilio Reyna’s leadership and kept the original name, while Esteban was compelled to launch Pegasso del Pollo Esteban. He immediately initiated litigation that spanned a decade, during which Reyna’s Grupo Pegasso notched successive regional hits even as Esteban’s project enjoyed its own successes; listeners simply enjoyed having two strong bands available for dancing. Esteban prevailed in 1995, obliging Reyna to surrender the name and continue as Pega Pega de Emilio Reyna, whose first two releases were Cosas del Amor in 1996 and Reencuentro in 1997. That same year Pegasso del Pollo Esteban, restored to the Grupo Pegasso designation, issued Rompiendo el Silencio. Esteban’s version of the group blended early tropical-style cumbia with rancheras and mariachis, yielding multiple radio hits, steady regional sales, and two strong-selling compilations—30 Exitos in 2004 and 30 Exitos, Vol. 2 in 2005—both of which reached the Top Latin Albums charts. Despite continual member turnover, the band still draws large crowds, while its infrequent recordings maintain respectable sales; the 2017 career overview Inmortales del Grupo Pegasso appeared on streaming and other digital charts.