Los Rieleros Del Norte

Los Rieleros del Norte ("The Railers of the North") are a Mexican three-time Grammy-nominated regional Mexican band from Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico. They are based in El Paso, Texas, United States, and specialize in the norteño-sax genre.

History

They formed the band in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, in 1980 and later moved to Texas. The band's name, "Los Rieleros", is based on work that some members did on the railroads of Pecos, Texas. All original members of the band are natives of Ojinaga, Chihuahua, a town from which several other norteño-sax bands originated.

Currently, the band's lead vocalist is Daniel Esquivel; the other members include Daniel's sons Daniel Esquivel Jr. and José Luis Esquivel playing the button accordion and bajo sexto, respectively; Daniel's older brother Alfredo Esquivel playing drums; Alfredo's son José Ángel Esquivel playing electric bass; and Daniel and Alfredo's younger brother Javier Esquivel playing the alto saxophone. Original and longtime saxophonist Eugenio "Pemo" González was officially replaced by Javier Esquivel in 2024. From 1985 through 1994, Polo Urías was the band's lead singer and bassist, but he left to form his own band, ''Polo Urías y su Maquina Norteña''. Several years ago, the Rieleros ensemble had two bajo sexto players, one of whom was Manolo Morales – who eventually left to form his own band, Los Rieles. Los Rieleros del Norte also helped spin off La Maquinaria Norteña, which featured three former members of the Polo Urías band. They also inspired Esquivel's singer/songwriter and producer cousin, Isac Esquivel, to join Sonic Ranch Studios, along with Christopher Schoemann and Christopher M. Carzoli.

Los Rieleros del Norte have recorded many albums over the years. These include; ''Estampida Norteña'', ''Prieta Orgullosa'', ''Aventura Pasada'', and many other albums which have now become classics in regional Mexican music. Among their many songs, "El Columpio", "Te Quiero Mucho", "Amor Prohibido", "No le Digas a Nadie", "En la Puerta de Esa Casa", "Una Aventura" and, "Copa Sin Vino" are just some of their many singles, which have topped the regional Mexican music charts. ''Sobre los Rieles'' was released in September 2004, featuring the hit "Tu Nuevo Cariñito". In July 2005, ''Que el Mundo Ruede'' was released as the Rieleros' newest album. In 2006, ''Siempre Imitado Jamas Igualado'' was released, featuring the song "Voy a Llorar Por Ti", and on June 26, 2007, their album, ''Ven y Dime: 25 años'' was released, featuring the single "Un Juego". On May 27, 2008.

The actual founder of the band and its name is subject to controversy. Many fans had assumed that it was bassist Manalo Morales, but that probably is not true. Current leader Daniel Esquivel and Manolo Morales himself reportedly denied this in a morning radio show called "Piolín por la Mañana," acknowledging that Manuel "Meño" Lujan of Pecos is the original founder who named the group.

Lujan has maintained a low profile on this issue, so far preferring not to assert any legal right to ownership of the band's name. Meanwhile, the others have proceeded in court to establish control over the band. The group filed a suit in the Western District of Texas against Morales, ''Los Rieleros del Norte, Inc. v. Morales et al'', on March 21, 2007, for trademark infringement, to clarify this issue. Kathleen Cardone, a federal judge in El Paso, Texas, then gave all rights to Daniel Esquivel. The court order made Esquivel the rightful owner of the group and prohibited Morales from having any type of connection with the band, though Morales is rumored to have used the name of the group occasionally anyway. Armed with the court order, Esquivel consolidated his control of the band. His position was strengthened in early 2009 when, after seven years of litigation, the Mexican courts also held that he was the band's rightful owner. The court order prohibited Morales from using the name Los Rieleros and prohibited him from performing any songs recorded by the group from 2002 onwards without permission. These decisions together gave Daniel Esquivel full ownership of the band in both the United States and Mexico. Esquivel later stated in a press conference that he was willing to work with Morales and his crew and even help them to record an album of their own material, as long as they used a different name for their group. So far, there is no indication that this ever happened.

Discography

*1982 ''Leonel Garcia''
*1983 ''La Eche en un Carrito''
*1984 ''El Regalito''
*1985 ''Corazón Cerrado''
*1986 ''Copa Sin Vino''
*1987 ''Naci Cantando''
*1988 ''...En Gira Internacional''
*1989 ''La Golosa''
*1990 ''Castillo de Ilusion''
*1991 ''A Toda Maquina''
*1991 ''Volando Alto''
*1992 ''Me Lo Contaron Ayer''
*1992 ''Pecado de Amor''
*1993 ''Vias Por Conocer''
*1994 ''Peor Que Nada''
*1994 ''De Bueno Lo Mejor''
*1994 ''Adelanté Camínate''
*1994 ''En La Calle Te Dejo''
*1995 ''Rifaré Mí Suerte''
*1996 ''Invencible''
*1997 ''El Maquinista''
*1997 ''Aventura Pasada''
*1998 ''La Moraleja''
*1999 ''De Corazon Norteño''
*2000 ''Prieta Orgullosa''
*2001 ''Entrega de Amor''
*2002 ''Cuesta Arriba''
*2003 ''Abriendo Caminos''
*2004 ''Sobre Los Rieles''
*2005 ''Y Que El Mundo Ruede''
*2006 ''Siempre Imitado, Jamas Igualado''
*2007 ''Ven y Dime''
*2008 ''Pos Que No: Claro Que Si''
*2008 ''Homenaje a Javier Solís''
*2009 ''Pese a Quien le Pese''
*2009 ''En Vivo Para Ti''
*2010 ''Ni El Diablo Te Va a Querer''
*2012 ''Ayer, Hoy y Siempre''
*2014 ''En Tus Manos ''
*2015 ''Corridos y Canciones de Mi Tierra''
*2015 ''Las Clasicas de Ayer, Vol. 1''
*2016 ''Con Eso o Más''
*2019 ''Seguimos Firme''
*2020 ''Ayer y Hoy con... Los Rieleros del Norte''
*2020 ''15 Rielazos Parranderos''
*2021 ''Frente a Frente: Conjunto Primavera - Los Rieleros del Norte''
*2021 ''Reafirmando El Estilo''
*2022 ''Las Retro Chingonas''
*2023 ''Hay Niveles''
*2023 ''The Best of Los Rieleros del Norte''
*2023 ''Lo Mejor de Dos Grandes''

See also

*Polo Urías
* Conjunto Primavera

References

External links

Los Rieleros Del Norte Official Website

Los Rieleros del Norte Fan Site


(Spanish only)

Los Rieleros del Norte on Yahoo! music

Yahoo! Music biography taken from allmusic.com

Rieleros del Norte catalog on CD Universe, with sound samples

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rieleros Del Norte
Mexican norteño musical groups
Latin Grammy Award winners
Fonovisa Records artists
1980 establishments in Mexico
Musical groups from Chihuahua (state)