Pancho Barraza

Widely celebrated in his home country and Latin America as “Poeta del Amor” (“Poet of Love”), singer and songwriter Pancho Barraza is a best-selling composer and interpreter of bandas, rancheras, and romanticos, all of which he juxtaposes with pop. His resonant baritone singing voice is smooth, honeyed, and expressive. After leaving Banda los Recoditos, he issued Mis Canciones de Amor, his charting solo debut, in 1995. In the 21st century, Barraza has experimented with cumbia, salsa, and bolero as well. 2002′s Las Románticas de Pancho Barraza landed inside the Top Ten and spent more than 40 weeks on the charts. 2011′s Aniversario, Barraza’s first hits collection, highlighted his international appeal when it crossed over to the Top Latin Albums chart. He was one of the first Regional Mexican artists to embrace downloads and streaming. 2005′s “Y las Mariposas” topped the download charts across Latin America. 2016′s “Hay Amores” with Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda, dominated the charts for months. 2017′s “Yo Estaba Solo,” video registered more than ten million views. Further, the video for 2021′s “Música Romántica” with Grupo Firme and Eduin Caz, registered more than 70 million views on its way to number five. 2022′s two-volume Mis 30 Aniversario offered 22 star-studded collaborations from across the Regional Mexican spectrum; it charted at number one in physical sales and at streaming.
Barraza was born in Villa Unión, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, in 1961. Interested in music as a child, he gained experience in elementary and high school playing with various bands and entering various competitions. After earning his degree in music education from the Benemérita Escuela Normal de Sinaloa, he served as a music teacher in a Villa Unión high school until he joined Karisma, a pop-oriented group, as a bassist at 22. He also played with Banda San Sebastian and Banda Camino. In 1989, Banda los Recoditos approached Barraza to join them as both bassist and singer. All but unaware of their music at the time, he refused, but he began listening to all their music afterward. They tried again later that year, and he agreed. Barraza remained with Banda los Recoditos through 1994. His tenure resulted in six commercially successful albums and coincided with international airplay on the Pacific Coast. By the time he left, the group were known as Pancho Barraza y Banda los Recoditos.
Barraza went solo in 1995, issuing his debut album, Mis Canciones de Amor for Culver City, California’s Balboa Records, recognized industry-wide for its commitment to Regional Mexican music. Barraza assembled a hot live band and toured relentlessly; the album sold respectably. Still under the sway of discovery in traditional music, he issued Con Mariachi in 1997. He returned to balladry with 1998′s El Vagabundo Que Te Ama, but through a meld of rancheras, romanticos, and corridos. The following year, he cut Del Campo a la Ciudad fronting Banda Santa María and toured with them.
Though he became a genre star, it was for the quality of his music rather than its commercial popularity. Barraza flooded the zone in 2001, kicking off the year with Canción a Mi Esposa, a collection of romantic songs. He countered with Sinverguenza Y Mujeriego (“Scoundrel and Womanizer”) just two months later, offering love songs of an entirely different flavor. Further, he also cut another collection of mariachis (Cien por Ciento) and issued three albums of re-recorded material from his time with Banda los Recoditos. 2002′s Hombre Enamorado offered “Nuestro Amor,” his first charting single as a solo artist. It went to number 35 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. The following year, Las Románticas de Pancho Barraza went to number 36 on the Heatseekers album chart and remained there for three months.
Barraza released several thematically focused albums a year beginning with 2004′s Rancheras and Rancheras Pegadoras. 2005′s Bendita Mujer, a set of love songs weaving together banda, mariachi, and rancheras, registered charting airplay in Mexico. His second album that year, Banda y Mariachi, netted the Top 20 single “Y las Mariposas.” In March, the single “No Va a Matarme Tu Amor” from the album Marchate, also went Top 20. After spending virtually all of 2007 touring, Barraza hit the road again in early 2008 and stayed out through the summer. In September, he recorded Papa Soltero. Released in December, its title track landed inside the Top 30, where it spent two months.
Given the over-the-top romanticism and friendly drama in his concerts, Barraza was a top draw. In 2009, he released three thematically arranged live offerings focusing on bandas, romanticas, and rancheras in successive volumes. He returned to studio recording with 2010′s Corazón de Oro in collaboration with his oldest son, Pancho Barraza, Jr. The following year, his Aniversario went to number 20 on the Regional Mexican albums chart. Barraza placed two charting singles from 2011′s Cosas del Amor: its title track went to number 50, but “Nomas Nunca Vuelvas” landed in the Top 20 and remained there for four months. His popularity began spreading across the United States, where he toured relentlessly for the next three years. He also managed to release Mi Amor y Mi Agonía and another compilation in 2012.
Barraza spent all of 2013 touring the U.S. and Mexico. The following year, he returned to studio recording and released the split album Frente a Frente with Cornelio Reyna. The compilation Personalidad also appeared in 2015. In March 2016, Barraza collaborated with Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda on the Top 30 single “Hay Amores.” Its video, a recent discipline for Barraza, garnered more than eight million views. His own “Tu Ya No Volveras” also went Top 40. In November, he released the charting long-player Mas Fuerte Que Nunca; it resulted in a pair of Top 20 singles in 2017, “Historia de un Amor” and “Yo Estaba Solo.”
Following a year of touring Mexico, the U.S., and the Caribbean, Barraza returned to studio recording with Un Sueño in 2018. An exercise in salsa, bachata, cumbia, and pop, the hit singles “La Mujer Que Amo” and “Que Te Paso” as well as their accompanying videos charted. It was a busy year for Barraza. In addition to releasing two live albums, En Vivo Palenque Guadalajara and En Vivo Telmex, he collaborated on the single “Amor de Cuatro Paredes” with Engima Norteno, and reunited with Banda los Recoditos on a live video version of his “Mi Enemigo El Amor.” It registered more than 80 million views.
“La Fuerza del Amor” saw release in early 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the globe. Unable to tour, Barraza was a prolific singles artist. After issuing the funky cumbia “Pero la Recuerdo” with Super Lamas, he released “No la Valore” with Grupo Mando Real and the charting single and video for “Polvo y Nada” with Grupo Codiciado. Between 2020 and 2022, Barraza released no less than 40 singles — most were collaborations — in preparation for this 30th anniversary tour. Some, including “Unidos Para Amarnos” and “Te Deseo Lo Mejor” with Gerardo Coronel, landed on the charts. Also, his featured appearance on Lenin Ramirez’s “Estrenando Amante” went all the way to number two. In June, Barraza teamed with Grupo Firme and Eduin Caz on the video single “Música Romántica,” which registered more than 70 million views. In July, “Vuelve por Favor,” a single collaboration with Lenin Ramirez, landed inside the Top Ten.
On April 1, 2022, just before leaving for an extended international tour, Barraza released the two-volume, 22-track Mi 30 Aniversario, Vols. 1 and 2 exclusively to digital. They were re-recordings of his hits and collaborations. Many artists with whom he had recorded singles during the previous 18 months were present, but virtually all the selections they appeared on were different. Both albums landed inside the Regional Mexican Top Ten at streaming. ~ Thom Jurek