Luis Arcaraz

Luis Arcaráz was the premier Mexican orchestra leader of the postwar era, appealing to an enormous fan base on both sides of the border with a repertoire that boasted American and Latin pop favorites. Born Luis Arcaráz Torrás in Mexico City on December 5, 1910, he first pursued a career in bullfighting, but eventually his mother convinced him to study music and engineering. He continued his education in Spain before returning to Mexico City to accept a radio job with station XEW, singing and playing piano to the tune of 36 cents an hour. But the exposure nevertheless made Arcaráz a household name, and when his first big band debuted at Tampico's Teatro Palma in 1928, ticket sales were overwhelming.
While the orchestra was famed for its vast American pop songbook, Arcaráz was a prolific composer in his own right, penning some 200 songs during his career (including his theme, "Sombra Verde"); most were written for the Mexican film industry, with dozens of motion pictures featuring Arcaráz scores. By the early '50s, the band claimed a large fan base in the southwestern U.S. and toured regularly throughout the decade. In 1960, Arcaráz settled in Monterrey, Mexico, establishing his own popular nightclub, Cita con Arcaráz (A Date with Arcaráz). While traveling to an appearance in Mexico City, he lost his life in an automobile accident on December 5, 1963. ~ Jason Ankeny