Abel Talamántez Mendoza (born October 16, 1978, in
Pecos, Texas
Pecos ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of ...
), is an American singer,
songwriter
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
and
record producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
. He is currently a vocalist for the bands Cruz Martínez Y
Los Super Reyes
Los Super Reyes are an American musical group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by Cruz Martínez. Martínez created the group after he and A.B. Quintanilla had arguments over Martínez selling Quintanilla's group they were both in at the tim ...
and
Los EnVivo Kings. He is also a former member of the bands
Menudo,
MDO, and A.B. Quintanilla Y Los
Kumbia Kings
The Kumbia Kings are a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia, hip hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. The producers for th ...
. Talamántez was the second member of Mexican origin in Menudo.
Biography
Abel Talamántez Mendoza was born in
Pecos, Texas
Pecos ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of ...
, to Mexican parents. Talamántez grew up playing
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
with his elder brother (who would join
La Sombra
Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza (born November 3, 1989) is a Mexican professional wrestler. , he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the WWE SmackDown (brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Andrade (formerly Andrad ...
, with
Cruz Martínez, owner and founder of international groups
Kumbia Kings
The Kumbia Kings are a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia, hip hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. The producers for th ...
and
Los Super Reyes
Los Super Reyes are an American musical group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by Cruz Martínez. Martínez created the group after he and A.B. Quintanilla had arguments over Martínez selling Quintanilla's group they were both in at the tim ...
) and three sisters (who would form
Esmi Talamántez Y Viento Loco). He became a member of the famous
Puerto Rican music group,
Menudo, in 1992, after several group members had left the group in the middle of a scandal that had threatened to break up the band.
Edgardo Díaz
Edgardo Díaz Meléndez (born 1947) is a Puerto Rican music producer and songwriter. He is the creator of the "boy band" Menudo.
Early life
Díaz was born in Panama City, Panama to Puerto Rican parents "Nacho" Diaz and his wife "Panchi" ...
held auditions and Talamántez, among others, were chosen as the new members of Menudo. In Menudo, Abel got to share the stage with the only member of the group who stayed through the scandal,
Mexican singer
Adrián Olivares, who was the first non-Puerto Rican member of Menudo. For a short period, Talamántez moved to
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
with the rest of the band.
Although the often called ''golden age'' of Menudo (1981 - 1987) had already passed, the group still had vast fame across
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
and among
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
communities in the United States. It was due to this that Abel became a teen idol among Hispanic girls during his first few years with Menudo.
In 1996, now with
Didier Hernández among Menudo's members, the group changed its name to
MDO. Talamántez kept being a member of the group, which, by then, approached a more mature audience, allowing its members to stay in the group past the age of 16. Along with the other members, Abel moved to
Miami, Florida
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
.
During the 2000s, MDO kept on touring across Latin America and, particularly, in the Southwestern states of the United States.
In 2003, Abel officially ended his relationship with the organization when MDO stopped performing and Díaz started a teen-based group in 2005 named
Tick Tock.
Soon after, he was contacted by
A.B. Quintanilla, brother of slain
Tejano music
Tejano music (), also known as Tex-Mex music, is a popular music style fusing Mexican influences. Its evolution began in northern Mexico (a variation of regional Mexican music known as ).
It reached a larger audience in the late 20th century ...
star
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...
and founding leader of Los
Kumbia Kings
The Kumbia Kings are a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia, hip hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. The producers for th ...
. Talamántez quickly accepted Quintanilla's offer to become a member of the famed band. One of the major hits the band has had since Abel became a member was a remake of a 1984 Menudo hit, "
Sabes a Chocolate" ("You Taste Like Chocolate").
In 2005, Talamántez was touring with Los
Kumbia Kings
The Kumbia Kings are a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia, hip hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. The producers for th ...
. Now he's in a group called
Los Super Reyes
Los Super Reyes are an American musical group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by Cruz Martínez. Martínez created the group after he and A.B. Quintanilla had arguments over Martínez selling Quintanilla's group they were both in at the tim ...
. The entire album ''
El Regreso de los Reyes
''El Regreso de los Reyes'' (English: ''The Return of the Kings'') is the debut studio album by Mexican-American cumbia group Cruz Martínez y Los Super Reyes. It was released on August 14, 2007 by Warner Music Latina
Warner Music Latina Inc. ...
'' was produced, arranged and mixed by
Cruz Martínez, which due to the huge success has received platinum and gold records for its sales in the United States and Mexico. Rumor had it that Los Super Reyes were themselves working in Martínez's studio on another very anticipated album which was scheduled for an early 2009 release.
In late 2011 and early 2012, Abel reunited with his former MDO bandmates
Alexis Grullon,
Anthony Galindo
Edgar Antonio Galindo Ibarra (14 December 1978 – 3 October 2020), also known as Anthony Galindo and popularly known as El PapiJoe, was a Venezuelan singer, model, and entertainer.
Career
Since 1995, Galindo was part of the then-last stage of ...
,
Didier Hernandez, and embarked on an MDO reunion tour, visiting countries like Peru, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, etc.
Abel currently resides in Mexico City, has his own record label "Abel'z Label" and works as a producer; having produced
Marile Andrade album and is currently working on her second album. He recently launched his new project
Chicodelicos, working with the nephew of the late Mexican Comedian-singer, Chico Che. They are rendering Che's tribute to the new generation by bringing in new sound fuses.
In December 2018, the
MDO band, including Talamántez released a single titled .
Discography
Albums With La Sombra de Chicago
*1988: "Strikes Again"
*1988: "
Chicago's Wild Side"
*1989: "One of a Kind"
*1989: "
The Chi-Town Boys R Back"
*1990: "
Good Boys Wear White"
*1991: "
Porque Te Quiero"
*1992: "Intocable"
Albums With Menudo
*1991: Detrás de tu mirada
*1992: ''
Dancin', Movin', Shakin'''
*1992: ''
15 Años''
*1993: ''
Vem Pra Mim
''Vem Pra Mim'' is the fifth and final album in Portuguese by the group Menudo, released in 1993. This was the only album performed by the lineup composed of Abel Talamántez, Alexis Grullón, Andy Blázquez, Ashley Ruiz, and new member Ricky ...
''
*1993: ''
Cosmopolitan Girl
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan l ...
''
*1994: ''
Imagínate...''
*1994: ''If You're Not Here''
*1996: ''
Tiempo De Amar
''Tiempo de Amar'' is Menudo's 36th album (23rd in Spanish), released in 1996.. The album features the members: Abel Talamántez, Alexis Grullón, Andy Blázquez, and new members Didier Hernández from Cuba, and Anthony Galindo from Venezuela. ...
''
Albums With MDO
*1997: ''
MDO''
*1999: ''
Un Poco Más''
*2000: ''
Subir Al Cielo''
*2001: ''Little Piece of Heaven''
*2002: ''Greatest Hits''
Albums With Los Kumbia Kings
*2004: ''
Los Remixes 2.0''
*2004: ''
Fuego''
*2005: ''
Duetos''
*2006: ''
Kumbia Kings Live''
Albums With Los Super Reyes
*2007: ''
El Regreso de los Reyes
''El Regreso de los Reyes'' (English: ''The Return of the Kings'') is the debut studio album by Mexican-American cumbia group Cruz Martínez y Los Super Reyes. It was released on August 14, 2007 by Warner Music Latina
Warner Music Latina Inc. ...
''
*2009: ''
Cumbia con Soul
''Cumbia con Soul'' (English: ''Cumbia with Soul'') is the second studio album by Mexican-American cumbia group Cruz Martínez y Los Super Reyes. It was released on June 30, 2009 by Warner Music Latina.
Track listing
Personnel
;Los Super Rey ...
''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talamantez, Abel
1978 births
21st-century American singers
American male singers
American musicians of Mexican descent
Kumbia Kings members
Living people
Los Super Reyes members
Menudo (band) members
People from Pecos, Texas
Singers from Texas