Ideal Records (12)

For credits only. For the label, please use: Ideal (12). See also: Ideal Recording Company. Ideal Records, one of the most influential regional recording companies for Mexican-American music during the post–World War II era, was founded in 1946 by Armando Marroquín (with partner and distributor Paco Betancourt) in Alice, Texas. Marroquín started recording local artists during the 1940s. Among the most successful of the Ideal artists, besides Martínez, were Tony de la Rosa, Valerio Longoria, and El Conjunto Bernal, led by Eloy and Paulino Bernal, and Alberto "Beto" Villa. In 1960, Marroquín founded a new company, Nopal Records. His former partner, Paco Betancourt, continued to distribute Ideal recordings through his Rio Grande Music Company and opened a new studio with a family member, John Phillips, Sr. Reportedly, a young local musician, Baldemar Huerta (later known as Freddy Fender), helped out with engineering duties and also recorded there. In 1990 music historian and Arhoolie Records owner Chris Strachwitz purchased all the Ideal masters which had been stored in San Benito at the Rio Grande Music Company. Thus many pioneer Tejano and conjunto recordings have been preserved and subsequently reissued for discovery by new audiences.