Cornelio Reyna

Cornelio Reyna was born in Notillas, Coahuila, Mexico, on September 16, 1940. He moved to Monterrey, Nuevo León, as a teenager and then to Houston, Texas, where he worked as a bricklayer. He began his musical career by writing songs, singing, and playing the bajo sexto, a twelve-string guitar. He formed a duet with Juan Peña called Dueto Carta Blanca and played at the Cadillac Bar in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, where he met Ramón Ayala, a young accordionist. In 1961, they formed Los Relámpagos del Norte, a group that blended norteño and conjunto styles and became very popular in northern Mexico and southern Texas. They recorded more than twenty albums and had many hits, such as "Ya No Llores", "Mil Noches", "Me Caí de la Nube", and "Lágrimas de mi Barrio". In 1971, the group split up and Reyna started a solo career, singing with mariachis and appearing in more than thirty films, some based on his songs. He also directed some movies and starred with famous actors like Antonio Aguilar, Pedro Infante Jr., and Los Tigres del Norte. He later formed his own group, Los Reyes del Norte. In 1995, he reunited with Ayala as Los Relámpagos del Norte and released the album Juntos para Siempre. He died of complications from a bleeding ulcer on January 22, 1997, in Mexico City. He was buried in Reynosa, where he was considered a native due to his great affection for the city. He was survived by three sons and a daughter, from different marriages. His son Alberto, also known as Cornelio Reyna Jr., followed his footsteps as a singer and songwriter. Cornelio Reyna is regarded as one of the pioneers and "godfathers" of regional Mexican music and a prolific composer of many genres.