El Chapo de Sinaloa

by Evan C. GutierrezEl Chapo, as he is commonly known to Mexican music fans, was born Ernesto Pérez in Badiraguato, in the state of Sinaloa, a musically vibrant region. Pérez recalls that "just about every kid my age dreamt of one day being in a band." Hoping to sing and play clarinet, Pérez spent most of his time out of school practicing and writing music. The men of his household were by and large cowboys, causing Pérez to love everything about caballo culture. His dreams soon changed from musician to singing cowboy. His prayers were at least in part answered at the age of 11 when he began playing clarinet with a local conjunto. Finding opportunities as a clarinetist somewhat limited, Pérez picked up the electric bass and began playing with a number of local bands. Pérez started playing for recording sessions with small companies, and by the age of 15 he could be heard on more than 20 professional recordings. It was through his work in recording that Pérez decided to take steps toward a solo career. It was not long before this already seasoned musician was able to win the public's favor. Released in 2004, Tu, Yo y la Luna remained on Billboard's Regional Mexican and Top Latin Albums charts for two years, and other releases have done similarly well. El Chapo de Sinaloa is often referred to as "El Numero Uno de Jaripeo," perhaps fulfilling his singing cowboy dreams.