Los Rieleros Del Norte

One of the longest-running and most commercially-successful bands in norteño music, Los Rieleros del Norte formed in 1980 in Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The original lineup included railroad workers Manuel "Meño" Lujan, Milo Menendez, and Manolo Morales, all three of whom relocated to Pecos, Texas, shortly after the band's launch. Los Rieleros del Norte released their first album, Leonel Garcia, in 1982, and steadily developed a sound that blended traditional norteño instruments like bajo sexto with more unusual elements, including saxophone and accordion. It proved to be a potent combination. After vocalist Polo Urias joined the lineup in 1985, Los Rieleros del Norte charted a dozen hits during the course of a decade, earning radio airplay throughout Mexico with singles like "Amor Prohibido," "En la Puerta de Esa Casa," and "Me Lo Contaron Ayer." Urias left the lineup in 1995 and was replaced by Daniel Esquivel, who made his debut as Los Rieleros del Norte' frontman with 1996's Invencible. The album was a commercial and critical hit. Three years later, "Te Quiero Mucho" became the band's first single to chart at Number 1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. The gold-selling Prieta Orgullosa followed in 2000, and Los Rieleros del Norte spent the following decade in a whirl of commercial success, earning additional hits with "Tu Nuevo Cariñito" (from 2004's Sobre los Rieles), "Voy a llorar por ti" (from 2006's Siempre Imitado Jamas Igualado), and "Un Juego" (from 2007's Ven Y Dime 25 Años). The prolific pace continued during 2010s and early 2020s, with the group releasing albums like 2015's Corridos Y Canciones De Mi Tierra and radio singles like 2021's "El Columpio."