Narciso Martínez

Narciso Martínez (October 29, 1911 – June 5, 1992), was a Mexican folk musician. His nickname was El Huracan del Valle ("The Hurricane of the Valley"). He began recording in 1935 (or 1936) and is the father of conjunto music. The Spanish word conjunto means 'group' and in El Valle de Tejas that means accordion, bajo sexto, and contrabajo (string bass, known locally also as "el tololoche"). The same year, he and Santiago Almeida recorded their first 78 rpm record containing the polka "La Chicharronera" and the schottishche "El Tronconal" for Bluebird Records,

Biography

Martínez was born in Reynosa, Mexico. his family moved to La Paloma, Texas, U.S., near Brownsville where he was raised. His parents were migrant farmworkers and Martínez received no formal education. and persuaded recording director Eli Oberstein to record them for the Bluebird label. This established a new sound, which quickly became identifiable as Texas-Mexican conjunto music.

In the 1940s, Martínez purchased a now-standard three-row button accordion. During World War II, there was a lack of materials due to the war effort, so most musicians were unable to make recordings. After the war had ended, Martínez was one of the first musicians to resume recording, In the 1950s, he joined other Mexican-Americans on the Tejano dancehall circuit, touring areas of New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Martínez is a recipient of a 1983 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. He died of leukemia on June 5, 1992 in San Benito, Texas.

Legacy The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center, an organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion and development of the rich and cultural heritage of the Mexicano community, in San Benito, is named for him.

Discography

Compilation Texas-Mexican Border Music, Vol. 10: Narcisco Martinez (9017 Arhoolie Folklyric, 1977) Narciso Martinez Vol. 2 - Father Of Tex-Mex Conjunto (LPFL9055 Arhoolie Folklyric, 1989) 16 Exitos de Narcizo Martinez (16 Hits of Narciso Martínez) (R y R, 1992) El Huracan del Valle (Arhoolie, 1997) The Father of Texas-Mexican Conjunto (361 Arhoolie, 2009) Narciso Martinez - The Complete Discos Ideal Recordings, Volume 1 (8001 Arhoolie, 2011) Narciso Martinez - The Complete Discos Ideal Recordings, Volume 2 (8017 Arhoolie, 2011)