Jorge Negrete brought the concert hall to the cantina as Mexican cinema's first, and arguably best, singing cowboy. Described by one musicologist as "a cross between a fighting rooster and a peacock", Negrete possessed a classically trained baritone that added European sophistication to mariachi strings and horns. Beginning in 1941, he played numerous variations of a handsome, heroic and golden-voiced rancher with patriotic leanings. That patriotism bled over into his stirring version of "México Lindo y Querido" (Beautiful and Beloved México), the country's unofficial anthem.