Mariachi Los Camperos

Grammy-nominated Mariachi Los Camperos’ abundant accolades and performances on premier concert stages can easily obscure the fact that its leaders come from humble roots deep within a mariachi tradition. The group’s founder, Nati Cano, forged his own mariachi group in 1961 from his artistic vision and determination. Until his death in 2014, he challenged the attitudes that led formally trained musical peers to look down on his beloved rural and working-class music. In the words of Jesús “Chuy” Guzmán, his disciple and successor as Camperos leader, “He wanted to have a mariachi that would have dignity, that would have heart, that would have soul, and he made Los Camperos.”