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External audio
External audio
	You man hear Los Panchos Trio singing "La Palma" with Alfredo Antonini conducting the CBS Viva America Orchestra and the accordionist John Serry Sr. circa 1946 here

External images
External images
	Photograph of the Los Panchos Trio with Manolita Arriola for CBS Radio's La Cadena de Las Americas (Network of the Americas) on "Viva America" in 1946 ; Here on Getty images
	Photograph of Los Panchos Trio by Michael Ochs circa 1970 ; Here on Getty Images

Los Panchos
Los Panchos
	Los Panchos in 2015
Background information
Also known as	Trío Los Panchos
Origin	New York City; Mexico City; Puerto Rico;
Genres	Bolero; canción; ranchera; corrido; guaracha; son;
Years active	1944–present
Labels	Columbia Records; Seeco;
Members	Chucho Navarro Jr.; Eduardo Beristian; Misael Reyes;
Past members	Chucho Navarro; Alfredo Gil; Hernando Avilés; Julito Rodríguez; Raúl Shaw Moreno; Johnny Albino; Enrique Cáceres; Ovidio Hernández; Rafael Basurto Lara;

Originally, Trio Los Panchos were a trío romántico formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and the Puerto Rican Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exporters of the bolero and the romantic ballad in Latin America.

The group sold hundreds of millions of records since its creation in the mid 1940s,^[1] some of their best known songs being their interpretations of classic folk songs such as "Besame Mucho", "Sabor a Mí", "Sin Ti", "Solamente Una Vez", "Contigo", "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas", "Contigo Aprendi", "Aquellos Ojos Verdes", "Cuando vuelva a tu lado", "Se te olvida", "El Reloj", "Noche de Ronda", "Rayito de Luna".^[1]

Los Panchos are regarded as one of the top musical trios of all time and one of the most influential Latin American artists of all time.^[2] They sold out concerts around the globe for over 70 years and have appeared in more than 50 films.^[1]

A characteristic instrument of Los Panchos and other Mexican tríos románticos since the 1950s is the requinto guitar, which is smaller and tuned higher than a standard guitar. Requinto solos are found in many bolero recordings by Los Panchos.

History

Los Panchos first met in 1944 in New York City.^[3] The three original members were Chucho Navarro, and Alfredo Gil, both from Mexico, and Hernando Avilés from Puerto Rico. All three played guitar and contributed vocally.^[4]

Los Panchos reached fame with their romantic songs, especially in Latin America where they are still regarded as one of the top trios of all time. They sold millions of records in Latin America and other countries. In the 1940s they collaborated with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra with the orchestral accordionist John Serry Sr. in a recording of "La Palma" (a cueca) and "Rosa Negra" (a conga) for Pilotone Records (#45 5067, #45 5069).^[5] They also appeared in around 50 movies, mostly during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.

By 1946, the trio's exceptional virtuosity and authenticity had attracted the attention of Edmund Chester at CBS Radio's Cadena de Las Americas (Network of the Americas).^[6]^[7] Los Panchos were immediately invited to perform as "musical ambassadors" on the network's Viva América program to support cultural diplomacy in twenty countries throughout Latin America and South America.^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]

Los Panchos began touring internationally in 1946 and would relocate later that same year to Mexico City. They were welcomed with open arms and XEW-AM, the most popular radio station in Mexico City, reserved a time slot for their music.^[12] In 1951, Los Panchos launched another international tour across Latin America. Julito Rodríguez joined the group in 1952; he was replaced by Johnny Albino in 1958.

In 1964, CBS proposed to the members of the trio, then made up of the two founding members and Johnny Albino, to accompany a female voice for the first time, the American vocalist of Judeo-Spanish descent Eydie Gormé, who had several years of recording experience in the United States and who was just beginning to record in Spanish. The collaboration between Gormé and Los Panchos resulted in a series of bestselling albums in the 1960s such as Great Love Songs In Spanish (titled Amor, in Spanish).^[13] The Albino era was one of the most prosperous ones for Los Panchos, and classic albums from that time are still very popular among Los Panchos fans. His departure in 1968 was a tumultuous one, as he did not leave on good terms with the group's management.

In 1971, Ovidio Hernández joined the band as lead vocalist, a part he would fulfill until his untimely passing from complications of meningitis in 1976. Following him, Rafael Basurto Lara joined as lead singer.^[14]

Alfredo Gil played with Los Panchos until his retirement in 1981; he died in 1999. Chucho Navarro played with the group until his death in 1993. Currently the trio using the Los Panchos name is the Trio Los Panchos de Chucho Navarro Fundador ("Trio Los Panchos of Founder Chucho Navarro") under the direction of Chucho Navarro Jr., the son of original Los Panchos member Chucho Navarro.

Discography

1945 – Mexicantos
1946 - La Palma (Trio Los Panchos and the Viva América Orchestra conducted by Alfredo Antonini with John Serry Sr.)^[15]
1949 – Ritmos tropicales
1949 – Boleros selectos, Vol. 1
1950 – Los Panchos Favorites
1955 – Boleros selectos, Vol. 2
1955 – Así cantan Los Panchos
1956 – Canciones para una noche de lluvia
1956 – Vaya con Dios
1956 – Canciones del corazón
1956 – South Of The Border - Agustín Lara Hits
1956 – Mexican Holiday
1957 – Eva Garza
1958 – Un minuto de amor
1959 – Trío Los Panchos y Chucho Martínez Gil
1959 – Siete notas de amor
1960 – Los Panchos con Johnny Albino cantan
1960 – Canciones del corazón
1960 – Los favoritos de todo el mundo
1960 – Los Panchos en Tokyo
1961 – Ciudadanos del mundo
1961 – Ambassadors of Song
1961 – Ceguera de amor
1961 – Los Panchos en Japón
1962 – Época de oro
1962 – Los Panchos cantan tangos
1962 – El Trío Los Panchos interpreta Guty Cárdenas
1962 – El pecador
1962 – México canta
1962 – Favoritos latinos
1963 – A mi madrecita
1963 – Cantan a Paraguay
1963 – Love Songs of the Tropics - Trio Los Panchos Sing the Songs of Rafael Hernández Marín
1963 – Romantic Guitars - El Trio Los Panchos Y Las Canciones De Pedro Flores
1964 – By Special Request Sing Great Love Songs In English
1964 – Caminemos
1964 – Amor (Great Love Songs In Spanish) (with Eydie Gormé)
1964 – Los Panchos en el Japón
1964 – Recuerdos...
1965 – More Amor / Cuatro vidas (with Eydie Gormé)
1965 – El pescador de estrellas

1965 – Obsesión
1965 – Los Panchos en persona
1965 – Horas nuestras
1966 – Que no te cuenten cuentos
1966 – Celoso
1966 – Blanca Navidad / Navidad Means Christmas (with Eydie Gormé)
1967 – Los Panchos en estéreo, Vol. 1
1967 – Con éxitos de Armando Manzanero
1967 – En Venezuela
1967 – Hey, Amigo! The Trío Los Panchos Sing Great Popular Country Hits in Spanish with The Jordanaires
1968 – Los Panchos en estéreo, Vol. 2
1968 – Gigliola Cinquetti e il Trio Los Panchos in Messico
1968 – Con mariachi
1970 – Liliana
1970 – Los Panchos En Japón, Vol. 2
1970 – Los Panchos Cantan a Agustín Lara
1970 – Trío Los Panchos
1971 – Volví la espalda
1971 – Voces internacionales con Los Panchos
1971 – Basura
1971 – Háblame
1972 – Lo dudo
1972 – Frío en el alma
1972 – Martha (with Estela Raval)
1972 – Quiero
1972 – Cantan al Perú
1972 – Adulterio
1972 – La hiedra
1973 – El tiempo que te quede libre
1973 – Tú me acostumbraste (with Estela Raval)
1974 – Gil, Navarro y Hernández
1974 – Yo lo comprendo
1976 – Cantan a Latinoamérica
1976 – Sabor a mí
1977 – Si tú me dices ven (Lodo)
1981 – España en la voz de Los Panchos
1982 – Los Panchos en Brasil
1985 – Homenaje a Carlos Gardel
1985 – La nave del olvido
1989 – Esencia romántica
1991 – Siglo veinte
1991 – Triunfamos
1991 – Hoy