Antonio Aguilar

Mexican singer and actor Antonio Aguilar sold more than 25 million mariachi records, while also gaining fame as a Mexican cowboy movie star. ∙ A singer and horse rider since childhood, he considered opera until a friend urged him to try mariachi music, and he began making records in 1950. ∙ In the 1960s, Aguilar’s concerts often featured bull-riding and other rodeo spectacles, along with his performances of such popular corridos as “Gabino Barrera” and “Caballo Prieto Azabache.” ∙ He appeared in more than 150 films, winning a Latin ACE Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of the epic 1970 biopic Emiliano Zapata. ∙ In 1989, the single “Triste Recuerdo”—which rose into the top 40 of Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart—energized Aguilar’s musical popularity and sparked a revival of the tambora style. ∙ Aguilar set a box-office record with a sold-out, six-night run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in 1997. ∙ In 1997, his film work was recognized with the Golden Ariel—the highest honor in Mexican cinema—and in 2004, he received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.