Conjunto Music Guide: 7 Notable Conjunto Artists

Conjunto is a musical genre developed in South Texas by Mexican Americans. Conjunto music is known for its iconic button accordions borrowed from Czech, Polish, and German polka traditions. Lyrics are typically sung in Spanish in the style of Mexican ranchera music.

Conjunto music came into existence in the mid-to-late nineteenth century, but it gained particular popularity in the 1930s thanks to musicians like Narciso Martinez, an accordionist known as the father of modern conjunto. Following World War II, conjunto musicians began experimenting with new instruments such as the electric bass guitar and rock-style drum kits. Conjunto remains popular in the Southwestern United States as well as in Mexico, where it is known as norteño music.

Tejano refers to a broad assortment of Texan-Mexican musical styles. Conjunto is one of these styles. In addition to conjunto (also called norteño), Tejano music includes Mexican cumbia, mariachi, and grupero among other genres. Perhaps the most popular Tejano artist in America was Selena, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter from Lake Jackson, Texas.

Tejano music culture is strong in American cities with significant Mexican-American populations, including Austin, San Antonio, Tucson, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

The signature instrument of conjunto music is the button accordion, a European instrument used in German, Czech, and Polish dance music. The most significant accordion player in the conjunto tradition was Narciso Martinez. He developed a signature style by focusing on his instrument's right-hand keyboard (which plays in the treble register) over the left-hand buttons that produce chords.

Other notable instruments in conjunto—and Tejano music in general—include the bajo sexto (a version of a 12-string guitar), the double bass or bass guitar, and the drum kit. Conjunto bands feature both male and female vocalists.

Conjunto music has produced many accomplished songwriters and performers.

1. 1. Narciso Martinez (1911–1992): Martinez is considered the father of conjunto music. His rapid-fire accordion-playing earned him the nickname "El Huracán del Valle." Unlike German, Czech, and Polish accordion players, Martinez focused purely on playing right-hand melodies and did not concern himself with the bass chord buttons on the other side of the instrument.
2. 2. Lydia Mendoza (1916–2007): Singer Lydia Mendoza is famous for her 1930s hit "Mal Hombre" and prolific career.
3. 3. Flaco Jiménez (1939–present): Mexican-Texan Flaco Jiménez is known for merging conjunto with American genres like rock, blues, country, zydeco, and Cajun music. His father, Santiago Jiménez, Sr., and his brother, Santiago Jiménez, Jr., are also notable accordion players.
4. 4. Tony de la Rosa (1931–2004): A conjunto innovator, Tony de la Rosa helped popularize a dance style called tacuachito. He did this by adding drums and electric bass guitar to his accordion, and by slowing down tempos to make songs easier to dance to.
5. 5. Valerio Longoria (1924–2000): Longoria brought romantic boleros into the conjunto tradition.
6. 6. Paulino Bernal (1939–present): Considered a virtuoso accordionist, Paulino Bernal brought strong chromaticism and fluid legato playing into the conjunto version of polka music. He burst onto the conjunto scene in the 1950s and remains an influential figure.
7. 7. Eva Ybarra (1945–present): Eva Ybarra began giving public performances at the age of six. She remains both prolific and popular within the conjunto scene.

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