Ruben Fuentes

During the golden age of mariachi ensembles, Rubén Fuentes distinguished himself as violinist, arranger, and musical director for both Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan and Jose Alfredo Jiménez. He authored dozens of enduring Mexican standards—“La Negra,” “La Culebra,” “Las Alazanas,” “Como Si Nada,” “La Bikina,” and “Que Bonita Es Mi Tierra”—many of them written jointly with Silvestre Vargas, Mariachi Vargas’ nominal leader. He also served as producer for several of Linda Ronstadt’s traditional Latin albums. Vikki Carr, Pedro Infante, Marco Antonio Muniz, and Javier Solis have all recorded his material. Rubén Fuentes died on February 5, 2022 at the age of 95.