In 1749, Spain settled the area we now call the Rio Grande Valley, thus was born the Tejano, (a Texan of Mexican heritage). Because of the remoteness of South Texas at the time and the proximity of Mexico, Tejano culture was very much tied to the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Tamalipas. These ties continue today and are a strong influence on the Tejano culture.

In the 1850’s, Europeans, Germans and Czechs migrated to Texas and Mexico bringing with them their styles of music and dance. They brought with them the Waltz, Polkas and other popular forms of music and dance. The Mexican Revolution (1910-1917) forced many of these Europeans to flee Mexico into South Texas, and their musical influences were to have a major impact on Tejanos.

At the turn of the century, Tejanos were mostly involved in ranching and agriculture. It was a rough life but one of pride. The only diversion was the occasional traveling musician who would come to the ranches and farms. Their basic instruments were the flute, guitar and drum and they sang songs that were passed down through the generations from songs originally sung in Spain and Mexico. One of these musicians was Lydia Mendoza who became one of the first to record Spanish music as part of RCA’s expansion of their popular Race Records of the 1920’s. As these traveling musicos traveled into areas where the Germans, Poles and Czechs lived, they began to incorporate the um papa sound into their music.

Narciso “El Huracan del Valle” Martinez, known as “The Father of Conjunto” defined he accordion’s role in conjunto music.

With the accordion, drum and bajo sexto (a 12 string bass guitar from Spain), Tejanos now had a sound they could begin to call their own. In the 1940’s Valerio Longoria introduced lyrics to conjunto music further establishing the Tejano claim to this new sound. In 1944 Ideal Records, based out of Alice, Texas became the first Recording company to record Mexican American artist exclusively.

Tejano music did retain some of its roots in the old European styles. Polkas and waltzes were still popular, as was the German habit of dancing in a circle around the dance floor.

In the 1940’s and 50’s Beto Villa and Isidro Lopez would further revolutionize the sound by taking out the flowery Spanish that Valerio used and used Tex-Mex instead. This created a newer sound. In the 60’s and 70’s Little Joe and the Latinaires (now known as La Familia) Sunny & the Sunliners, the Latin Breed and others infused the orchestra sound into the Tejano sound taking their influences from the Pop, R&B and other forms of music. In the late 70’s, Brownsville natives Joe Lopez and Jimmy Gonzalez Y Grupo Mazz introduced the keyboard sound to Tejano. This was influenced by the Disco sound of the era.