Artists & Music

New Grammy Category for Tejano Marks Its Growing Identity N ARAS RIGHTS WRONG: In a also delivered by reunited members set, were predictably piqued. RMM salsa icon Celia Cruz move that unquestionably will please .t+ of pop vocal group Timbiriche. Though there were few Latino rock arrived cranky and 90 minutes late players in the regional Mexican mar- The festival's best night was May acts booked to perform at Festival for her afternoon press conference ket, the trustees of the National Acad- 21. After solid sets by Sacados, Yuri, Acapulco, many roqueros such as La because she had to do media inter- emy of Recording Arts and Sciences and Alberto Vásquez, the polite Lupita and Julieta Venegas did play views that morning, a chore she said (NARAS) have approved the creation crowd went wild when the six mem- at the local Hard Rock Café during she doesn't like to do on a day when of a Grammy Award for Tejano music bers of El Reencuentro-the reunit- the festival. she performs. Nonetheless, Cruz (Billboard, June 6). by John Lannert ed members of -took the said, she was pleased to be part of the Previously, Tejano music was stage and dazzled the audience with ACAPULCO NOTAS: During Fes- "last" Festival Acapulco, which lumped with the broader regional Under consideration for the Latin their mid -1980s hits, including "Clar- tival Acapulco, several acts an- shocked the media reps. When Cruz Mexican genre in the loquaciously Grammys is the creation of a special idad," "Ven A Volar," and "Quiero nounced plans for the rest of the year. (Continued on page 67) titled category of best Mexican - nominating committee to qualify Rock." After , Mexico American/Tejano performance. potential nominees for awards. The was Menudo's most popular market. Musically, Tejano and regional Mex- general membership would then vote At the 5,000 -seat Rodeo Playero, ican sub -genres such as norteña and on the final five nominees. the Monterrey -based Representa- H L DISTRIBUTORS Mexican cambia are close relatives. In reference to the nominating ciones Jaguar produced a top -shelf 6940 S.w. 12th Street Miami, Florida 33144 Indeed, Tejano is considered part of committee, Greene says its activities slate of shows highlighted by stellar the overall regional Mexican field on will probably be "something in be- sets from Banda Del Recodo, Toda Clase de Música: Billboard's radio and retail charts. tween a democracy and a blue -ribbon Banda Machos, Banda Arkangel ;Distribuidora Latina con But since many of NARAS' Latino kind of a process." R -15, Los Cardenales De Nuevo Nuevos Lanzamientos ¡Distribuidora Completa members are from Texas, where Unfortunately, no such nominating León, Bobby Pulido, Antonio and Tejano music is popular, the winner committee is imminent for the Latin Pepe Aguilar, Caballo Dorado, and V ademas el catalogo con alto porcentaje of the erstwhile Mexican- Ameri- nominees in the U.S. Grammy Los Tucanes De Tijuana, the latter mas Profundo de de cumplimiento can /Tejano Grammy category usual- Awards. Instead, Greene says, he is of which performed before a sellout Música Latina en ordenes! ly went to a Tejano act. Regional Mex- relying on the LARAS members who crowd and who, like last year, drew ican rated shot. are eligible to vote on the Latin cate- fans who listened to them outside the artists seldom a Discos Compactos Con su primera Now, regional Mexican artists have gories of the U.S. Grammys to "right venue on sidewalks and at bus stops. s) orden le their own category, which means some of the wrongs" of past nominee Also presented during the festival Videos Laser Gratis perennial nominees such as Fono- selections. were two children's shows called Fes - VHS & DVD's eUTORs mandaremos visa's venerable norteño crew Los "We are hopeful that with the new tivalín; they took place May 17 and 24. y mucho más nuestro amplio catalogo Tigres Del Norte and Sony Discos members in LARAS we are going to Kiddie idol Tatiana was announced Hoy o Mandenos Un Fax y descubre por usted mismo! ranchero legend Vicente Fernández see a vastly improved electorate in as an attraction for the May 24 show, Llamenos finally have a solid chance of winning terms of the folks voting in the Latin but she didn't appear. Most of the -7711 Grammys. categories," Greene says. audience, which had bought Tatiana U.S.: 1- 800 -227 -7711 Int'1: (305) 262 NARAS president /CEO Michael Further, Greene points out that merchandise before her scheduled Fax: (305) 261 -6143 Greene says the creation of a Tejano more Latino categories will be added award reflects the genres' increasing to the U.S. Grammy awards. market presence. "Just as last year, when we added "In terms of the number of entries rock en español," says Greene, "as we C we have received in recent years, both get a larger [Latino] constituency Mexican -American and Tejano con- who come as a result of us getting tinue to grow ... so, both of these more members [in LARAS], you are A forms deserve their own category," going to see more categories in the says Greene. American Grammy process for Latin R In other NARAS news, the trust- music." ees also approved the allocation of L $500,000 to the Latin Academy of ACAPULCO ACTION: In its recent Recording Arts and Sciences eighth edition, Festival Acapulco (LARAS), the Latino counterpart to offered its usual wide array of well - NARAS. known talent who played before sell- S Greene says the $500,000 infusion, out crowds at two venues: Centro de which followed an initial $500,000 Convenciones and Rodeo Playero. sum earmarked last year for Upstart pop, tropical, and dance LARAS, will be used to cover oper- acts such as Servando Y Florentino, P ating costs, including the opening of MDO, and Mestizzo performed at a new office in Miami Beach within three different Acapulco beaches. the next six weeks and the salaries of And for the first time, there were free a three -person staff headed by shows offered at three stages located N Mauricio Abaroa. Part of the money in Acapulco's economically challenged also will provide salaries for project neighborhoods. C managers who are expected to be The eight -day festival was hired in the coming months in Latin launched May 16 at the 5,000 -seat E America. Centro de Convenciones by Emilio In addition, Greene says, the Azcárraga Jean, president of Mexi- trustees have begun to take steps can TV network Televisa, which was toward the creation of the Latin broadcasting the event, and Angel Grammy Awards, now slated to debut Aguirre Rivero, governor of Guer- in 2000 or 2001. A network to broad- rero, the Mexican state in which Aca- EMi,zi- - cast the program should be selected pulco is located. in 1999. Voting on the Latin Grammy Although veteran talk -show host Awards will be done by members of Jorge Ortiz De Pinedo had been SEL ..# 59454 LARAS; Greene says its membership announced as the event's MC, a series is 300. of actors and actresses attempted - While stressing that the Latin cat- and usually failed-to handle the host- INC.Me;;;ro egories in the U.S. Grammy Awards ing chores with comfort and grace. REYES RECORDS will remain with the stateside cere- Among the standout performers at CD'S - CASSETTES - DVD'S & MUSICAL VIDEOS mony, Greene says the Latin Gram- Centro de Convenciones were Ale- 140 NV/, 22 Avenue, Miami, Florida 33125 * Tel.: (305) 541 -6686 l Fax; (305) 642 -2785 my Awards will use a totally separate jandro Sanz, Oscar D'León, Celia WEB -SITE voting procedure that "will not be Cruz, Moenia, Laura Flores, Ana E-MAIL [email protected] reyesrecords.com quite as cumbersome as some of the Bárbara, Mercurio, Hanson, José TODO EN MUSICA * EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN MUSIC things we experienced in the Ameri- Luis Rodríguez, and Ricardo Mon - MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED can Grammy process." taner. A crowd -pleasing show was

BILLBOARD JUNE 13, 1998 65 www.americanradiohistory.com