Guitarist Ramiro Cavazos reflects on long career in tejano music

On South 23rd Street in McAllen, you will find a small charming music shop named RyN Music Store. Upon entering the music shop, you'll see it packed with a varied selection of regional Spanish music. You’ll see the walls covered with photographs, posters and even some musical instruments. The first person who will probably greet you is the legendary Ramiro Cavazos.

Born Feb. 16, 1927, in Garza Ayala in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, Cavazos would eventually become a historical figure in regional Spanish music thanks to his success in South Texas. Before Tomas Ortiz and Eugenio Abrego were even named Los Alegres de Terán, he collaborated with them on various platforms in the 1940s and early 1950s in Mexico.

Cavazos eventually found his way to the United States, where he met accordionist Mario Montes in Donna. He still fondly recalls the first time he met Montes. Cavazos had moved from Raymondville to Donna in the late 1940's and was riding his bicycle one day when he saw two men playing music. He went up to them and one of the men asked him if he was a musician. Cavazos told them he could play the guitar and sing. That man turned out to be Mario Montes thus forming a lifelong friendship and musical partnership.

Cavazos and Montes went on to do their first recordings for the McAllen based Discos Falcon in 1947. These early recordings featured Cavazos on the guitar as opposed to him using the bajo sexto, which he would be more famous for doing in later years. The two men will forever be associated with the name Los Donneños and Cavazos credits the name to one person. After completing their initial recordings, Discos Falcon owner Arnaldo Ramirez decided to give Cavazos and Montes the name Los Donneños based on the fact that they were now residing in Donna.

Both Cavazos and Montes were perplexed, they thought to themselves, “why would we be called this considering we're from Mexico and had just recently moved to Donna?”

But the name stuck and he's now proud of the legacy that he has created with the name Los Donneños.

After those early recordings, he decided to change from guitar to bajo sexto.

"The guitar didn't sound too good," says Cavazos in Spanish. "The bajo sexto is a lot more stronger than the guitar."

Later in the 1950s, Cavazos and Montes would go on to work in the Mexican film industry with major motion picture star Lalo "El Piporro" Gonzalez.

"We did five movies with Piporro," Cavazos says. "We were with him for over three years playing music."

Cavazos, Montes and Piporro would go on to tour all over the United States, Venezuela and Cuba.

Cavazos would also appear on the silver screen once again in the the great Les Blank and Chris Strachwitz documentary "Chulas Fronteras" (1976). This iconic documentary on conjunto and norteño music features Cavazos and Conjunto Tamaulipas opening up the film with a great interpretation of Canción mixteca. Cavazos is later featured once again in the film with conjunto pioneer Narciso Martinez.

Other record labels that Ramiro Cavazos has recorded for include Discos Del Valle, Discos Torero, and Columbia Recods (aka CBS Records) in Mexico.

"We recorded with them for 17 years," says Cavazos of his major deal with Columbia Records.

Then in 1972 he would start his own record label called Discos RyN, which included a partner in Monterrey. He would record many artists under the Discos RyN brand like Ernesto Guerra, Narciso Martinez, Conjunto Tamaulipas, Beto Quintanilla, Los Fantasmas and Ruben Vela.

After the passing of Mario Montes in the early 1990s, Cavazos has gone on to play with Rene Maciel, Juan Antonio Coronado and Beto Espinosa in various incarnations of Los Donneños. In 2007, at the age of 80, he was inducted into San Benito's Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame for his achievements as a musician.

"We are blessed that he is still here with us and continues to play the best ballads, corridos, and just great bajo sexto playing no longer seen in new conjunto musicians," says Lupe Saenz, president of the South Texas Conjunto Association. "His compositions are constantly being recorded by conjuntos because they know that his songs are quality compositions. Composers like Mr. Cavazos are few and far between. Ramiro Cavazos is an icon and a legend in his own style that only he can produce."

Now at 84 years old, he still has many things to look forward to. He is looking forward to his 85th birthday next month, which he plans to celebrate with his family and friends. He is also very excited about the release of a new CD he recorded with his accordion playing grandson Alan Cavazos.

"In about two weeks the CD will be released out to the market," Cavazos says. "I have sixty five years as a musician. My [friend] Juanito doesn't want me to play anymore but I can't retire."