Tejano Music to Be Focus of Evening With Ramiro Burr

Tejano Music to Be Focus of Evening With Ramiro Burr

RICE NEWS
September 30, 1999

The passionate rancheras and accordion-;driven conjuntos of Tejano music will be the theme of an evening with Ramiro Burr, music critic for the San Antonio Express-News and author of the book “Tejano and Regional Mexican Music.”

Burr will speak at Rice on Oct. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Farnsworth Pavilion. The event is sponsored by the Society of Latino Alumni of Rice and the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals.

The Laredo native first started writing about Tejano music 15 years ago. He writes a weekly column on Latin music, which is syndicated in the Houston Chronicle and other newspapers across the state.

His book is a comprehensive look at the Tejano music industry, from the birth of bolero singer-songwriter Augustin Lara in 1897 to Flaco Jiménez winning his fourth and fifth Grammy awards this year.

The book not only chronicles musical groups, but also seeks to explain the different forms of music, including polka, ranchera, mariachi and norteña.

Burr also examines the history and cultural impact of Tejano music. He attributes its huge succuess in the early 1990s to two critical factors: the success of Latino-oriented movies such as “La Bamba” and Linda Ronstadt’s mariachi album “Canciones de Mi Padre,” in which she returned to her Latin roots. The industry peaked in the 1990s with the success of Tejano stars Selena and Emilio.

In addition to writing his syndicated column, Burr is also a correspondent for Billboard Magazine and free-lance writer for numerous publications, including Texas Monthly.