We are back with another of our popular Latin Roots series. This time Felix Contreras from NPR's Alt-Latino is here to explore the Ranchera. We'll hear old and new examples of this Mexican narrative form. The first song is by Jorge Negrete, one of the most famous Ranchera singers of all time. Ranchera literally translates to "from the ranch," and first began appearing during the Mexican Revolution around 1910. The lyrics were originally written about love and patriotism, but evolved during the ten year Revolution to reflect more of the political climate at the time in Mexico, and was later used in Mexican movies during the boom period of the 1940s, '50s and '60s.
The second song is by Chavel Vargas who passed away this past summer at the age of 93.