Mariachi Los Camperos

Founded in 1961 by Nati Cano, the Grammy-winning ensemble known as Mariachi Los Camperos, or Los Camperos de Nati Cano, ranks among North America’s most respected mariachi groups. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the band has issued many recordings and completed dozens of tours across Mexico and the United States. Mariachi Los Camperos embody the standards of mariachi performance. Until his passing in 2014, musical director and arranger Cano devoted meticulous care to updating early regional repertoire through intricate rhythmic designs and harmonic textures, all while safeguarding the core character of both historic and contemporary mariachi traditions. Beyond their own releases, the musicians have collaborated in the studio with leading Mexican and Latin American artists as well as American pop and rock figures such as Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Willy Deville, and Los Lobos. Standout releases include ¡Viva el Mariachi! (2002) and Llegaron Los Camperos (2005), both issued by Smithsonian Folkways and widely regarded as prime illustrations of Cano’s balance between conservation and creative renewal.

Born in 1933 into a household of day laborers and musicians in Ahuisculco, Jalisco—the region that gave birth to mariachi—Cano began lessons on the five-string Mexican vihuela, an instrument dating to the nineteenth century and central to traditional mariachi ensembles, at age six. Two years later he entered the Academia de Musica in Guadalajara, where he studied until 1945. In 1950 he moved to Mexicali and joined Mariachi Chapala; although the youngest member by ten years, he soon assumed arranging duties. He relocated to Los Angeles, California, in 1960 and became part of Mariachi Águila, which held a long-running engagement at the Million Dollar Theater downtown. After bandleader Jose Frias died in a traffic accident, Cano took leadership, renamed the group Mariachi Los Camperos, and introduced a shift from the plain black traje de charro to a more refined white jacket and, later, the attire of Mexican vaqueros. The ensemble quickly earned acclaim first in the Los Angeles community and subsequently throughout the United States and northern Mexico. Their debut album, Puro Mariachi, appeared on the independent Indigo label in 1961; though stocked in Southern California and northern Mexico outlets, the sessions primarily served as merchandise for live shows. In 1965 they recorded North of the Border for RCA’s Carino subsidiary, achieving wide North American distribution. Three years later Latin International released El Super Mariachi, Los Camperos. Also in 1968 Cano established La Fonda de Los Camperos, a Wilshire Boulevard restaurant in Los Angeles that presented the band live several nights weekly alongside other Mexican regional acts.

Employing Cano’s arrangements, the group stressed reinvention of early regional songs by layering complex rhythmic patterns and harmonies, yet remained committed to upholding the authenticity of traditional material. Cano recognized early on that mariachi could resonate across cultural boundaries, and rising Latino populations in the United States fueled exponential growth in live performances. After eight years without new studio work, the band issued Valses de Amor in 1973 on La Fonda Records to widespread critical approval. At that time they performed seven nights a week for extended periods, their blend of classic mariachi, lyrical boleros, vigorous son jalisiense rhythms, and elaborate huapango captivating audiences at county fairs, quinceañeras, weddings, street celebrations, and theaters. Although two decades would pass before their next album, Linda Ronstadt—already acquainted with their style—invited them to support her on the award-winning bestseller Canciones de Mi Padre. In 1989 Cano received the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the federal government’s highest distinction for traditional arts. The group returned for Ronstadt’s 1991 sequel, Mas Canciones. In 1992 they backed Willy DeVille on a mariachi interpretation of Billy Roberts’ “Hey Joe,” which also appeared in the accompanying video and served as the lead single from his landmark album Backstreets of Desire.

The band signed with Polydor for 1993’s Canciones de Siempre; favorable response expanded their visibility as they toured the American Southwest and Mexico. In 1996 they moved to Delfin for two projects: Sounds of Mariachi that year and the holiday collection Fiesta Navidad in 1997. As touring commitments grew locally, nationally, and internationally, another recording hiatus ensued until 2002, when Smithsonian Folkways issued Viva el Mariachi to strong acclaim; the group then added Canadian dates to their schedule and appeared on the label’s Raíces Latinas: Smithsonian Folkways Latino Roots Collection. Late in 2004 they released Llegaron Los Camperos, which entered the Mexican Regional charts. In 2005 they shared a Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children on Cellabration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins. At the 2006 Grammys they won Best Mexican/Mexican American Album for Llegaron Los Camperos. Two years later, following the widely praised Amor, Dolor y Lagrimas: Música Ranchera, they captured another Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Album. That same year they contributed to the opening track and first single, “Drive Like I Never Been Hurt,” from Ry Cooder’s 2008 album I, Flathead, reflecting the guitarist’s admiration dating back to the 1960s.

Cano died of natural causes in October 2014 at age 81. Under new musical director Jesus “Chuy” Guzman the ensemble persisted, issuing the Grammy-nominated Tradicion, Arte y Pasion in 2015 as Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano; the project lost to Los Tigres del Norte’s Realidades. While rebuilding their industry presence under Guzman, they maintained an uninterrupted touring schedule in tribute to Cano. Returning to the studio in 2019, they delivered De Ayer Para Siempre, their fifth Smithsonian Folkways release. The album charted in both the United States and Mexico and earned the 2020 Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Album (including Tejano).