In the middle of the 1990s Rick Trevino surfaced as one of the first Hispanic performers to gain traction in country music since Freddy Fender and Johnny Rodriguez scored hits during the mid-1970s. He launched his string of chart entries with the 1994 single “She Can’t Say I Didn’t Cry” and continued to score successes in the following years by merging new-country sounds with album-rock energy in the manner of Garth Brooks.
Trevino grew up surrounded by music; his father played in a local Tejano band, and both parents nurtured his developing talents. As a youngster he absorbed Tejano, country, classical pianist Van Cliburn, and mainstream pop and rock artists including Elton John and Billy Joel. Formal training soon followed in classical piano and clarinet. After high school he received a baseball scholarship to Memphis State University yet chose instead to concentrate on music.
His first album, the Spanish-language Dos Mundos, appeared in 1993. The project was supported by the single “Just Enough Rope,” issued simultaneously in English, Spanish, and bilingual versions and marking the first traditional country single released in both Spanish and English. The English take reached number 44. The next year brought his self-titled English-language album, which adapted most of the songs from Dos Mundos and added several new tracks. That release became a commercial success, generating the Top 40 single “Honky Tonk Crowd” as well as the Top Ten hits “She Can’t Say I Didn’t Cry” and “Doctor Time.”
Trevino’s second album, Looking for the Light, arrived in 1995 and was also issued in a Spanish edition. Although it performed well, the set proved less dominant than its predecessor and yielded only one Top 40 single, the number-six “Bobbie Ann Mason.” His third album, Learning as You Go, followed in 1996. Changing in Your Eyes appeared two years later, and Mi Son reached stores in spring 2001.
