Ladrón

Ladrón, the Monterrey ensemble whose name means Thief in English, gained widespread recognition by leaning toward the pop-leaning side of onda grupera. This strategy brought the group steady admiration throughout central Mexico and the Midwestern United States, even as it stayed relatively inconspicuous in its hometown, where norteño remains the dominant style.

Sergio Villarreal, born in 1968 and serving as director and guitarist, has written nearly every song in the catalog. He began composing at age 14 and has sustained an extraordinary pace ever since, completing roughly 75 pieces each year. To maintain a practical fallback, he earned an engineering degree and briefly taught mathematics and physics at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, which carries a mechanical Regiomontana orientation. While studying at Universidad Regiomontana, Villarreal and three fellow students launched the rock band Gatos Con Botas. The musicians soon gravitated to the softer onda grupera sound and officially adopted the name Ladrón in 1991.

Their recordings prize straightforwardness and warmth, relying almost exclusively on cumbias and adult contemporary ballads. Villarreal introduced vocal harmonies modeled on the clean-cut tradition of the Association. Completed by keyboardist Omar García, born in 1969, bassist Edgar “Gary” García, born in 1970, and drummer William Mejía, born in 1971, the four-piece lineup remains the smallest commonly found in a genre that usually features six to eight musicians.

Discos Sabinas signed the group the same year, and legendary Mexican composer Armando Manzanero produced its debut album, Corazón Desvalido. Broader international attention arrived in 1992 with No Tengo Lágrimas, an album that spawned five hit singles—an uncommon achievement when most artists in the style release just one album annually.

Villarreal’s arranging and songwriting abilities also drew notice from other acts. He has supplied arrangements for Banda Móvil, Cardenales de Nuevo León, and Banda R-15, groups whose styles differ markedly from Ladrón’s, and he has written material for Liberación, Flash, and Sonido Mazter. He has expressed the hope of eventually working full-time as a producer and songwriter.

Although Ladrón added two mariachi numbers to the 1994 album Culpable De Tu Amor and included several rapid quebraditas on the 1998 release Enamórate De Un Ladrón, the band never strayed far from its trademark romantic sound, which frequently references earlier songs. The 1996 greatest-hits collection 15 Super Temas remains the only U.S. release to contain tracks from Corazón Desvalido. Tu Me Quieres Lastimar appeared in 1998, followed three years later by Misma Historia.