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Roberto Martínez Festival Performances with Los Reyes de Albuquerque

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-791-BC

Scope and Content

This collection contains recordings of live performances by Los Reyes de Albuquerque at important regional festivals in the Southwest, recorded 1991-1995. The venues include: The Festival of the American West in Logan, Utah; The New Mexico State Fair at the Villa Hispana in Albuquerque, New Mexico; The Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, Colorado; The Hispanic Arts Commission in Raton, New Mexico.

The performances cover a wide repertoire of popular and traditional New Mexico music including mariachi and ranchera music, corridos and songs, interspersed with comments by group leader and song writer, Roberto Martínez. Some recordings feature family members Debbie, Sheila and Larry Martínez.

Brief reports and copies from exhibits document the audio recovery project that produced the digital version of the music. It also includes a brief biography of Martínez.

Tape letters on the CD labels refer to the original cassette recordings, still in the possession of Roberto Martínez.

Forms part of the John Donald Robb Archive of Southwestern Music.

Dates

  • 1991-2006

Language of Materials

English Spanish

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.

Biographical Information

Roberto Martínez was born in 1929 in the village of Chacon in northern New Mexico, where he grew up. He was exposed to regional musical traditions by his parents who sang romance, indita and corrido ballads. He married and moved to Denver, Colorado, where he reacquainted himself with guitar playing, which he had learned as a child. In 1960 he relocated to Albuquerque and joined Mariachi Aguila. Two years later he formed his own music group, Los Reyes de Albuquerque, with Miguel Archibeque, Rey Flores, and George Benavidez.

Writing corridos whenever he was inspired, his most popular was also his most controversial, "Corrido de Rio Arriba," written in 1967 about Reyes Lopez Tijerina and the Tierra Amarilla Courthouse raid. As the group's local popularity grew, they also became recognized in a wider region and began producing commercial recordings. They have performed at prestigious folk festivals such as the Smithsonian's American Folk Life Festival. Martínez himself has received national recognition and was inducted into the National Corridistas Hall of Fame in 2002.

Extent

1 box (0.6 cu. ft.)

Abstract

Recordings of live performances by Los Reyes de Albuquerque at important regional festivals in the Southwest, recorded 1991-1995. Contains a wide repertoire of popular and traditional New Mexico music including corridos and songs interspersed with comments by group leader and song writer, Roberto Martínez.

Related Archival Material

Center for Regional Studies and the Center for Southwest Research Fellows presentation, Theresa Cordova

Roberto Martínez Collection of New Mexican and Mexican Music Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico
Title
Finding Aid of the Roberto Martínez Festival Performances with Los Reyes de Albuquerque, 1991-2006
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Teresa Cordova and Enrique La Madrid
Date
© 2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is in English

Revision Statements

  • Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451