Jose Alfredo Jimenez

José Alfredo Jiménez was a Mexican singer and songwriter, whose songs are considered the basis of modern regional Mexican music and rancheras. He wrote over a thousand songs, which have been covered by various artists from around the Spanish-speaking world. He was born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, where he spent his early years until his father's death in 1936. He moved to Mexico City with his mother and siblings, where he worked as a waiter and a soccer player. He started composing his first songs in his teenage years, and was discovered by singer Miguel Aceves Mejía in 1948. He sang for the first time on the radio station XEW, where he became famous. He married Paloma Gálvez, with whom he had two children, and later had four more children with Mary Medel. He also had a relationship with singer Alicia Juárez, who recorded several duets with him. He was known for his simple yet poetic lyrics, his expressive voice, and his affinity for folkloric genres such as ranchera, mariachi, and corrido. Some of his most famous songs are "El Rey", "Ella", "Paloma querida", "Si nos dejan", "Media vuelta", and "Camino de Guanajuato". He died in 1973 from cirrhosis, at the age of 47. He was buried in his hometown, where a museum and a statue honor his memory. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential composers of Mexican music.