Rubén Fuentes (15 February 1926 – 5 February 2022) was a Mexican classical violinist and composer who was best known for his contributions to

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

music.

Biography

In 1944, Fuentes joined Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán as a

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist and later as a music arranger. In 1955 he stopped performing in the group, but he maintained his position as producer, musical arranger and musical director. As such, he had a profound influence on Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán and mariachi music in general. He is best known for his work on

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

's classic, Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum '' Canciones de Mi Padre'' album. With domestic sales of 2.5 million copies, ''Canciones de Mi Padre'' stands as the biggest-selling non-English language record in US history. Fuentes wrote dozens of Mexican standards, including "La Culebra", "Cien Años", "Las Alazanas", "Como Si Nada", " La Bikina", "Que Bonita Es Mi Tierra", "Flor Sin Retoño", "Ni Princesa Ni Esclava" and "Camino Real de Colima" (many composed with Silvestre Vargas). Fuentes also produced several of Linda Ronstadt's traditional Latin albums. His songs have been performed by

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera singer and actor whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and raised in nearby Guamúchil. He died on 15 Apri ...

, Miguel Aceves Mejía, Flor Silvestre, Amalia Mendoza, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Javier Solís,

Vikki Carr Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona (born July 19, 1940), known by her stage name Vikki Carr, is an American vocalist. She has a singing career that spans more than five decades. Born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican parents, she has ...

, and Hatsune Miku, among others. Fuentes was the musical director of

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

in Mexico during the late 1950s to the late 1960s. For that reason, he was the arranger and musical producer of many records of major ranchero singers. Most of them were accompanied by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. Fuentes was also the musical arranger for most of José Alfredo Jiménez's songs, a prolific Mexican-born composer whose compositions, like Fuentes, elevated traditional Mariachi music to international heights and acclaim. Fuentes died on 5 February 2022, at the age of 95.Fallece el compositor mexicano Rubén Fuentes
eluniversal.com.mx. Accessed 20 October 2022.

References

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* * 1926 births 2022 deaths 21st-century classical violinists Mariachi musicians Musicians from Jalisco Mexican music arrangers Mexican fiddlers People from Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco Latin music composers {{NorthAm-composer-stub