Beto Quintanilla

Beto Quintanilla never had any formal music training, although he frequently composed songs and poems as a child. ∙ To help support his family, at age 13 Quintanilla started working at a cattle ranch, where he also composed songs for musician friends and local groups. ∙ Local music executive Ruben Polanco pushed Quintanilla to start performing his own songs, and by the late ’70s he’d recorded several hits, including “Pancho La Sota.” ∙ Known as El Mero León del Corrido (The Boss Lion of the Corrido), Quintanilla—whose songs often recounted tales of drug smuggling—was one of the biggest stars of the narcocorrido genre. ∙ Quintanilla’s “Raquenel Villanueva” and “El Calabazo” are two of the most frequently covered corridos in Northern Mexico. ∙ Tragedias Reales de la Vida, released just two days before his death in 2007, went on to be his most successful album and was a Billboard Top 200 hit.