The most influential person or group in Tejano music in the 20th century? Let's see. The first problem with coming up with the single most influential figure in the Tejano music's first century is the sheer number of people who have influenced the genre. Tejano music as most of us know it is relatively young, dating back only to the 1920s and 1930s with the evolution of conjuntos. Still, that's 70 or more years of individuals and groups of artists slowly shaping the art form to where we are today.
     Depending on where you came in on the Tejano music timeline, you might say that Selena Quintanilla, probably Tejano music's brightest star, is also its most influential figure. Selena's appearance on the Tejano scene can be dated to 1989 when her father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., signed a deal with EMI/Latin to cut Spanish language records. Selena's rise was meteoric. She charted 12 Top 40 singles on the Billboard charts, set attendance records at the Astrodome, won a Grammy and was at the forefront of Tejano music a its most impressive growth period in history.
     The power of Selena's appeal and popularity of her music elevated Tejano music to new heights in the Latin and Anglo mainstreams. Following Selena's death in 1996, even more attention was focused on Selena and, by default on Tejano music.

     Other candidates for most influential figure include:

      La Mafia, the Houston-based group with a tour calendar that included stops all over the United States, Mexico, and South America. La Mafia sold millions of records and performed to some of the largest crowds ever seen in Mexico and the United States. The group won a pair of Grammys and survived some 17 years before deciding to hang it up this year so its members could pursue individual careers.
     Flaco Jimenez, with five Grammy awards. He was one of the Texas Tornadoes and part of Los Super Seven and collaborated in pop and country with many of today's top artists, including Linda Ronstadt and the Rolling Stones.
     Beto Villa, the Falfurrias bandleader who blazed the Tejano music circuit still followed by today's artists, and whose combination of traditional Mexican music with the big band sound of the late 1940's created the beginnings of contemporary Tejano music.
     Isidro Lopez, of Bishop, with a style that blended accordions with big band instrumentation and with a repertoire that included traditional Mexican music dressed in brass and featuring his own distinctive vocals.
     Little Joe Hernandez, who over four decades has been through Tejano music's peaks and valleys. Hernandez incorporated elements of country, jazz, blues and rock in his arrangements, recorded more than 40 albums, received a Grammy Award, made numerous movies and opened the doors to La Onda Chicana.
     Or Sunny Ozuna, a contemporary of Little Joe's, whose contributions also go back to 1957 when he founded Sunny and the Sunglows. In 1963, Ozuna formed Sunny and the Sunliners and perfected the sound that would make him the first Tejano artist to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
     Bruno Villarreal and Narciso Martinez. Both were important figures in the development of traditional and norteno conjunto styles. Most sources credit Villarreal with being the first to record conjunto music in the late 1920s, but Martinez established the instruments used today by combining the bajo sexto with the accordion. Other early pacesetters who were influential in establishing the genre were Pedro Ayala and Flaco Jimenez.
     Valerio Longoria, a pioneer who in 1986 received a National Heritage Fellowship Citation from the National Endowment for the Arts for his contributions to conjunto music. This innovator was one of the first to sing while playing the accordion and was one of the first to customize the accordion to achieve his own sound.
     Tony De La Rosa, who is credited with adding drums and electric bass and making the bajo sexto obligatory. De La Rosa created the quartet ensemble we know today. The Sarita native is also credited with being among the first to use sound amplification equipment.
     Conjunto Bernal, the conjunto some say was ahead of its time and considered the best there ever was. Out of Kingsville, Eloy and Paulino Bernal launched their conjunto in 1952 at a dance hall in Premont. In their early years they provided back up for vocalists like Carmen y Laura. Later, as a result of creative accordion work by Paulino, three-part harmony by some of the finest vocalists in the business, and an acute sense of timing, the conjunto rose to the top of the circuit to remain there until the Bernals switched genres to pursue Christian music.
     Lydia Mendoza, with a recording career that began in the late 1920s, and a singer many older fans still consider the top female performer in Mexican-American history.
     Chelo Silva, who was born in Brownsville but lived in Corpus Christi much of her life, and who achieved international star status. Known as La Reina Del Bolero, Silva was a hit in the United States, Mexico and Latin America. Silva's career started in 1939 and she performed until the mid-1950s.

Next week: Rene Cabrera profiles his choice for the most influential person in Tejano music.

Coming Up:
Dec. 31 - Control and Zinzzero at La Villita and Los Talismanes at Mario's
Jan. 1 - A.B. and the Kumbia Kings, Jennifer y Los Jetz and Miraya at Bayfront Convention Center
Jan. 22 - Garcia Brothers at La Villita
Jan. 29 - Jody Farias at La Villita
  
  
 

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