Nati Cano

Natividad "Nati" Cano (June 23, 1933 – October 3, 2014) was a Mexican-born American mariachi musician and former, longtime leader of Mariachi los Camperos, a Grammy-winning mariachi band based in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mariachi los Camperos is "widely considered one of the top mariachi ensembles in the country".

Early life Natividad Cano was born in the village of Ahuisculco, Jalisco, Mexico, on June 23, 1933. His family members worked as day laborers, but they also played mariachi during their spare time. The band has played across the United States, including such landmarks as Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

In 1969, Cano opened a restaurant, La Fonda, located on Wilshire Boulevard. He had vowed to one day own his own restaurant after being refused service at an eatery in Texas. La Fonda closed in 2007, but reopened with Los Camperos in March 2016.

Starting in the 1980s, Cano focused on mentoring young people in the mariachi tradition. For close to thirty years, he led workshops for youth across the American Southwest. Cano taught and lectured on ethnomusicology at University of California, Los Angeles. He stepped down as leader of Mariachi los Camperos in the 2000s due to declining health, but continued to perform with the group.

Death Cano died from colon cancer at his home in Fillmore, California, on October 3, 2014, at the age of 81. He was survived by his wife, Andrea, and two daughters, Alejandra and Natalie.

Awards and honors 1990 National Heritage Fellowship 2006 Grammy Award nomination for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album for ¡Llegaron Los Camperos! Concert Favorites Of Nati Cano's Mariachi Los Camperos 2009 Grammy Award win for Best Regional Mexican Album for Amor, Dolor Y Lágrimas: Música Ranchera (Mariachi los Camperos) 2016 Grammy Award nomination for Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) for Tradición, Arte Y Pasión (Mariachi los Camperos)