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Bronco (Mexican band)

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Bronco
Bronco performing at the YouTube Theater in June 17, 2023.
Bronco performing at the YouTube Theater in June 17, 2023.
Background information
Also known asEl Gigante de América
OriginApodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
GenresGrupero
Years active(1979-present)
LabelsDisa Records (1980–1984)
Ariola
(1985–1997, 2003–2006)
Fonovisa (1988-1992), (1995-1997), (2007–2010)
MembersJose Guadalupe Esparza
Bass guitar and vocals
(1980–1997, 2003–present)
Jose Adan Esparza
Guitar (2012-present)
Rene Esparza
Bass guitar (2012-present)
Arsenio Guajardo
Keyboards and accordion
(2021-present)
Javier Cantú
Drums (2012-present)
Past members(dates refer to years active with the group)
  • Javier Villareal
    Guitar and backing vocals
    (1980–1997, 2003–2012)
  • Erick Garza
    Keyboards and accordion
    (†) (1980–1986)
  • Jose Luis Villareal
    "Choche" Bass; Drums
    (†) (1980–1997, 2003–2012)
  • Aurelio Esparza
    Percussion (1980-1997, 2003–2006)
  • Ramiro Delgado
    Keyboards and accordion
    (1987-1997, 2003-2019)
  • Ramiro Delgado Jr.
    Keyboards and accordion
    (2019-2021)

Bronco is a Mexican grupero band originating from Apodaca, Nuevo León.[1] Their modern take on regional Mexican music in the 1980s and 1990s helped earn them international recognition with original band members José Guadalupe "Lupe" Esparza, Ramiro Delgado, Javier Villareal, and José Luis "Choche" Villareal creating music that would go on to top record charts. The band is well known for their use of modern instruments, particularly the synthesizer and musical keyboards, as part of the incorporation of pop-style music. As with many grupera bands, members wore matching jumpsuits.[2][3]

History

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Los Broncos de Apodaca

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The band began by the name of Los Broncos de Apodaca (The Broncos of Apodaca), formed and fronted by José Guadalupe Esparza, whose origins lay within a band by the name of "Cheyenne," which he had started with his childhood friends in secondary school. “I have always favored the names of Indians and although we never played professionally with that group, it helped us learn to play with cardboard boxes”, Esparza once stated in an interview about his beginnings in music. This eventually proliferated into Los Broncos de Apodaca. Esparza was joined by childhood friend Erick Garza and brothers Javier and José Luis "Choche" Villareal. Esparza was the vocalist and frontman, Javier was the main guitarist, Jose Luis played drums, and Erick on keyboards. Esparza occasionally took to percussion. At that time, they played Chicano music, whose rhythm is very similar to norteño music found in Northern Mexico, including Nuevo Leon, only that the organ is used instead of the accordion; it was considered to be a fashionable musical trend at that time, they also played cumbias and boleros.

The members of what would become Bronco went by the name Los Broncos de Apodaca since it was customary to include the state or region from which they originated. The inspiration for the name came from Estadio Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium, which hosted the Broncos de Reynosa team of Mexican League baseball, and was known colloquially as "Estadio de los Broncos". Their first professional gig was precisely in Agua Fría, Nuevo Leon, a town within the same municipality as Apodaca.

They recorded "Quiero Decirte" and "Grande de Caderas" on sides A and B respectively. The members of the group visited radio stations within the City of Monterrey, fronting themselves as a "Bronco" and requesting their music be played on the air. Their single was only aired on AM station XEOK.

Bronco (1979–1997)

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Their first complete album was recorded for Fama, and included the song "Quiero Decirte". This is the only production in which Manuel Caballero acted as drummer, leaving the group shortly after. Esparza left the role of playing percussion to his brother, Aurelio. In 1985, the song "Sergio el Bailador" album Sergio el Bailador became a radio hit. Songs like “Pilar de Cantina” and “Maldito Corazón”, both from the same album, also experienced vast commercial success of their own in Mexico and the United States.[4] Due to health problems and to dedicate more time to his family business, Erick Garza decided to leave Bronco. His place was taken by Ramiro Delgado, a member of another group, Los Cazadores, who was recommended by Bronco's producer from BMG-Ariola, Homero Hernández.

The first studio album recorded with Delgado was 1987's Bronco Super Bronco, which included tracks "Lo Tengo Decidido", "No Nos Vamos a Olvidar", and "La Rompidita".

In 1987, the group had garnered local fame within the State of Nuevo León and was invited to Salon la Fama in Monterrey. The event attracted a crowd exceeding capacity, with 9,000 people attending the hall with a maximum capacity of 4,000. "It was a tall, long room, it had no windows and it had no emergency exit," according to one of the members of the band at the time. Police officers fired rounds into the air, causing a stampede in which hundreds were injured and seven died. The track "Cumbia Triste" on the 1989 album Un Golpe Mas was dedicated to the victims of the event.[5][6]

Bronco experienced international fame with help from their international hit single "Que No Quede Huella" ("May No Traces Be Left") from their 1989 album A Todo Galope, for which they toured in the United States, Puerto Rico, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru, amongst other countries.

After the release and widespread success of A Todo Galope and the midst of the creation and distribution of Bronco Amigo, Bronco were acclaimed as the most eminent group in their category in both Mexico and the United States.[4]

They gained additional fame in 1993, with their appearances in the Televisa soap opera, Dos Mujeres, un Camino (Two Women, one Path), alongside other celebrities, including Erik Estrada, Laura León, Lorena Herrera, Selena and Bibi Gaytán. In addition to acting, they performed the opening song of the same name, "Dos mujeres, un camino". The album Pura Sangre, published by Disa Records, included the song "Dos Mujeres, un Camino", earned gold and platinum records throughout Latin America.

The band announced their farewell tour in January 1997, with their first performance of this farewell tour taking place in February 1997 in New York. They would continue performing through 1997. Members affirmed there was no other reason than them having completed their cycle.[7] In August 1997, they received the keys of the City of Dallas for their popularity amongst the Latino community.[8] For their final performance in Monterrey, band members considered Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey but ultimately decided to use the local exposition in July.[9] A final concert in 21 December in the Estadio Azteca stadium in Mexico City, attended by roughly 100,000 people, was held.[10] The concert caused the stadium to reach full capacity.[11]

By the end of 1997, Bronco had received 37 gold and 20 platinum records.[12]

Return

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In 2003, the band members announced a return to the public in May 2003 as El Gigante de America after baseball champion's Arturo Gonzales's final game with the Monterrey Sultans before his retirement.[13] The band had recorded "Estoy a Punto" as the lead single for their new album by that time.[13] They briefly went on a tour before releasing Siempre Arriba as their comeback album in the summer of 2003. They intended to use the name Bronco in Mexico again but were unable, due to a legal dispute over the copyrighted band name with their former manager. Subsequently, they chose to go by the name El Gigante de America, this being the nickname their fans gave them during their time as Bronco. Despite not being able to perform as Bronco in Mexico, the band used Bronco: El Gigante de America internationally, as Mexican copyright laws did not apply abroad.

El Gigante de America

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In February 2012, original member, keyboardist and accordionist Erick Garza was kidnapped for ransom and murdered in Monterrey, Nuevo León.[14]

José Luis Villarreal ("Choche") died on September 30, 2012, at age 55, in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico. He had suffered for his last few years with cirrhosis.[15][16]

Bronco (2017–present)

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After negotiation between their record labels, including Sony Music, and their former manager in 2017, they have been legally permitted to perform as Bronco in Mexico.

In April 2019, Ramiro Delgado left the band and filed a lawsuit against Lupe Esparza, accusing the latter of fraud and monetary mismanagement. Esparza was interviewed and claimed that all debt owed to Ramiro Delgado was being taken care of. Delgado's son, Ramiro Delgado Jr., replaced his father as Bronco's keyboardist and accordionist. On January 5, 2021, Ramiro Delgado Jr. left the band[17] on his own accord, with Esparza claiming that the rest of the band attempted to convince him to stay, but ultimately respected his decision, as it came as no surprise.[18]

In September 2019, Bronco: La Serie, a Spanish language television series first aired, featuring the history of Bronco with the use of characters based on real individuals, while also making use of fictional characters loosely based on their counterparts in Esparza's book, Cicatrices de un Corazón Bronco.[19]

Bronco has sold over 12 million records as of 2017.[20]

On January 12, 2021, Arsenio Guajardo was presented as new keyboardist and accordionist for the band. Guajardo previously worked with Los Trotamundos and Los Humildes.[21]

Discography

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As Bronco

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As El Gigante de America

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World John Shepherd, David Horn, Dave Laing - 2005 "The most prominent bands of the grupo-norteria fusion are Los Baron de Apodaca, Los Mier, Bronco and Limite."
  2. ^ "Bronco". Tucson Monthly. 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  3. ^ "Celebrate Mexican Independence Day in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  4. ^ a b "GRAN EXITO DE UN GRUPO MEXICANO EN EL CONVENTION CENTER DE DALLAS, TEXAS". El Informardor. 1991-03-13. p. 19.
  5. ^ "Concierto de Bronco". Actitudfem (in Spanish). 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  6. ^ Salazar, Daniela (16 October 2019). "La verdadera historia de la estampida en el concierto de Bronco" [The True Story of the Bronco Concert Stampede]. Yahoo! vida y estilo (in Spanish).
  7. ^ "Inicia en Nueva York despedida de Bronco". Reforma. 26 January 1997. p. 10. ProQuest 311352362.
  8. ^ Diaz, Katy (11 August 1997). "Dicen adios a Dallas rompiendo record". El Norte. p. 3. ProQuest 316116899.
  9. ^ Diaz, Katy. (August 12, 1997). Prepara bronco despedida historica. El Norte
  10. ^ Diaz, Katy (22 December 1997). "El adios de Bronco: Terminan sueno ante estadio lleno". El Norte. p. 1. ProQuest 316061998.
  11. ^ Badillo, Roberto (24 January 2022). "La vez que BRONCO cimbró el Estadio Azteca con su concierto del adiós en 1997" [The time BRONCO shook the Azteca Stadium with their goodbye concert in 1997]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish).
  12. ^ Hoces Sauvat, Angela (19 December 1997). "Bronco: La ultima huella". Reforma. p. 31. ProQuest 311597764.
  13. ^ a b "Hoy reaparecen los ex-Bronco". El Informador. 2003-05-14. p. 7.
  14. ^ Grupo Bronco rides again access-date July 15, 2018
  15. ^ R.I.P. Choche! access-date July 15, 2018
  16. ^ R.I.P. Choche of Bronco access-date July 15, 2018
  17. ^ REFORMA, Por AGENCIA (2021-01-05). "Anuncia Ramiro Delgado Jr. salida de Bronco". Los Angeles Times en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  18. ^ García, Diana (January 9, 2021). "Lupe Esparza da explicación de la salida de Ramiro Jr". The Salinas Californian. pp. 5A.
  19. ^ Bronco, Un Éxito Indomable (TV Series 2019) - Plot - IMDb, retrieved 2023-06-26
  20. ^ "El grupo Bronco lleva hoy sus clásicos a San Lorenzo". Última Hora (in Spanish). 22 April 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Él es el nuevo integrante de Bronco". Multimedios Radio (in Spanish). 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
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