Ramon Ayala

Ramon Ayala — born in Monterrey, Mexico — has mastered the artistry of being an accordionist/vocalist/songwriter for over forty years. He  has defined norteño music with signature songs and definitive instrumental styling that have made him a superstar on both sides of the El Rio Grande.

As a teenager in the early sixties, Ramon virtually invented modern conjunto music, teaming up with the late bajo sexto guitarist/vocalist Cornelio Reyna to form Los Relampagos del Norte. The duo forged a distinctive sound and compiled a roster of songs that have since been covered by countless artists in contemporary Latin music. Their first hit single “Ya no llores” was recorded in 1963.

For the next eight years, Los Relampagos del Norte tore up the music charts by revolutionizing and re-inventing norteño music, a genre that was then considered exclusively cantina music. The talented duo recorded a total of twenty albums, creating many classics.

After Cornelio Reyna left to pursue his own ranchero career in 1971, Ramon Ayala set out to prove that he could make it on his own and formed the legendary band, Ramon Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte in late 1971.  Together, Ramon and Eliseo Robles forged a partnership and created a style that became the standard for norteño music. During the Eliseo Robles years, Ramon Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte’s album sales reached peak high in Mexico and the United States with hits such as: “Un rinconcito en el cielo”, “Chaparra de mi amor”, “Tragos amargos” and many others.

Ramon has won and has been nominated for several Grammy awards. In 2001, Ramon was awarded with an American Grammy award for the album En Vivo… El Hombre Y Su Musica. Ramon has also been awarded with two Latin Grammys’ for the albums Quemame Los Ojos and El Numero Cien. Ramon has been nominated a total of ten times. He has more than 107 albums in his catalogue and he also took part in thirteen movies, sharing credits with talents such as Antonio Aguilar, Los Hermanos Almada and Cornelio Reyna, among others.

Ramon Ayala’s influence on modern music cannot be overstated, as most norteño groups today use their style as their musical foundation to perform their songs.