Felipe Valdés Leal

Mexican composer, b. Saltillo, Coahuila, 6 August 1899 - d. Cuernavaca, Morelos,17 August 1988. In 1923 he moved to Los Angeles, California, to work in a record store. He would hum and whistle, and used this to compose his first song, "Échale un Quinto al Piano." Shortly afterwards he wrote the corrido "Lucio Vázquez", also known as "Los Pavos Reales." In 1925, he became artistic director at the Brunswick Record Corp., in Los Angeles, from where he strongly promoted the diffusion of ranchera music, when discovering and supporting artists like Javier Solís, Irma Serrano, Los Panchos (brought to Mexico directly from New York), Las Hermanas Huerta, Los Alegres de Terán, and Las Hermanas Padilla. Notable compositions: “Besos de Papel”, “Entre Copa y Copa”, “El Ausente”, “Hace un Año”, “Mis Ojos Me Denuncian", “Mi Ranchito”, “Mi Destino Fue Quererte”, “Rosita Alvirez”, “Tú, Sólo Tú”, “Veinte Años” .