Tejano (music)

Tejano, also called Tex-Mex or Texan-Mexican, is a style of music that originated with Hispanic people who emigrated from Mexico to South Texas in the nineteenth century. This group of people were also called Tejanos themselves. Tejano music encompasses Mexican, European, and American influences. Throughout the years, it evolved as it was passed from one generation to the next, gaining influences from the popular music of the times. Tejano is a blending of folk, country, blues, jazz, rock, and pop with mariachis, accordions, and string bands. Several styles of Tejano music emerged, including conjunto, and became popular throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with singers such as Tony de la Rose, Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez, Beto Villa, and Laura Canales. Young Tejano singer Selena is credited with introducing the musical style to international audiences in the late twentieth century. The genre declined in the twenty-first century; however, its influence remained mostly in the areas from which it originated.

Brief History

Tejano music can trace its roots to the early nineteenth century to about the 1840s, when an array of different cultures settled the border areas near Texas and Mexico. These Spanish, Mexican, Anglo-Texan, and American settlers became known as the Tejano people. The word Tejano means "Texan," so Tejanos referred to this group of people living in Texas.

Before this time, Indigenous people from Mexico intermingled and married the Spanish people who colonized the Americas. This created a race of mestizos (mixed race) who were part Spanish and part Indigenous Mexican. They later intermingled with the Europeans who settled Texas, and the Tejanos eventually descended from these people.

After the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), Mexico lost some of its territory to the United States, and many Mexican people began to migrate to the United States, especially to border states such as Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. These Mexicans living in the United States began to assimilate and adopt many aspects of American culture and blended it with their own Mexican heritage. They were Americans, but their language was Spanish, and their culture was Mexican. This melding of cultures influenced everything from language and art to music; thus, Tejano music was born.

During the mid-nineteenth century, many German immigrants began to settle in central Texas in an area that became known as the German Belt. They brought their own musical influences to the United States. These immigrants eventually moved south and introduced the Tejanos to German polkas, waltzes, and accordion music. The Tejanos adopted these German influences and incorporated them into their music at the end of the nineteenth century. Much of the Tejano music of this era sounded like polkas laden with Spanish lyrics.

A form of Tejano known as conjunto emerged around the beginning of the twentieth century. This style sounded similar to blues and country music and became popular among Texan ranch workers. The style incorporated a danceable beat and was played at dance halls and parties. It later was influenced by big band and jazz music in the 1930s and 1940s. In the decades that followed, the style began to borrow sounds from the popular American genres of rock, funk, and soul.

Overview

Tejano music remained virtually unknown outside of Texas and Mexico, although many popular Tejano artists emerged in the mid and late twentieth century, such as Laura Canales, Emilio Navaira, and Selena. Laura Canales, who sang in both English and Spanish, gained recognition in the 1970s, singing with the group El Conjunto Bernal. By the 1980s, she had made somewhat of a name for herself and won various music awards and accolades. Canales—like many Tejano singers of the time—eventually faded into obscurity.

Emilio Navaira was a young Tejano singer who was steadily garnering interest in the 1980s and early 1990s. He blended Anglo and Mexican musical styles and a Tejano-country sound. He also sang in both English and Spanish and connected with young Mexican Americans like himself. While he failed to break into the mainstream, one of his contemporaries was on her way to making a big name for herself and Tejano music.

Tejano entered the international mainstream in the late 1980s with the emergence of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known as Selena. Like Navaira, Selena helped to introduce a new generation to the Tejano style of music. She was able to connect with younger fans, many of whom, like her, had both a Mexican and American identity. Although she primarily sang in Spanish, the singer grew up speaking English and later learned Spanish. By the 1990s, she was one of the most successful Tejano artists and entered the mainstream. She became the first Tejano singer to win a Grammy Award, which she received for her album Selena Live! (1993). Her 1994 album, Amor Prohibido, became the first Tejano album ever to reach gold status. Many touted the young singer as the next Tejano-mainstream crossover star and predicted her to rise to international fame. In 1995, the young artist's life was cut short when the former president of her fan club killed her. Her death made international headlines, and she became informally known as the "Queen" of Tejano music.

In the years that followed, the Tejano musical genre continued to decline in popularity as few new popular artists emerged. Into the twenty-first century, many Tejano record labels ceased production. The Tejano Music Awards, which were established in 1980, continued to recognize Tejano artists for their achievements, yet the Grammy category for Tejano artists was discontinued. However, the genre survived with fans in Texas, where it originated, as independent labels, local and Internet radio stations, and social media groups continued to promote Tejano music and host events for existing and new generations of fans and musicians. The Tejano National Convention, which celebrates the musical genre, is held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bibliography

"About." Tejano Music Awards, www.tejanomusicawards.com/about. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

Erickson, Briana. "Tejano Music, Culture Energize Las Vegas Convention." Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1 July 2017, www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/arts-culture/tejano-music-culture-energize-las-vegas-convention. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

Hartman, Gary. The History of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press, 2008.

LeMoine, Piper. "Conjunto and Tejano Music: The Tex-Mex Rhythm of the US." TheGuardian, 21 June 2013, www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/jun/22/conjunto-tejano-music-tex-mex-us. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

Orozco, Cynthia E. "Quintanilla Perez, Selena [Selena] (1971–1995)." Texas State Historical Association, 14 Dec. 2020, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/quintanilla-perez-selena-selena. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

Tejeda, Juan. "Tejano: Local Music, Global Identity." Grantmakers in the Arts Reader, Sept. 2014, www.giarts.org/article/tejano-local-music-global-identity. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.