Esmeralda Talamantez Mendoza is a

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...

singer who had a string of musical hits during the mid to late 1990s with her band Viento Loco.

Biography

Esmi"Ezmi" Talamantez was born and raised in

Pecos, Texas Pecos ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of W ...

with her brothers Ray Jr. and

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepher ...

and sisters Maria and Ramona. She attended the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

and then transferred to

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

to study business management and biology. Aspiring to excel in artist management, songwriting, and publishing, Esmi's clear cut voice was noticed by Fonovisa, and she was encouraged to unveil her hidden talents. Esmi's brother Ray Talamantez co-produced the debut album ''Esmi Talamantez'' along with former

La Sombra La Sombra de Chicago or La Sombra de Tony Guerrero or even the Windy City Boys is a Tejano band founded by Tony Guerrero. Originally from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, the group gained national acclaim and success after moving to Corp ...

guitarist Adam Vargas who wrote her debut single, "Con el Tiempo", which hit the charts in Radio y Musica and Billboard Top 20 Latin hits. The second single "Viento Loco" would have the same name as the band formed by Esmi, Ray, Ramona, Maria, and Adam. Esmi's debut album caused a chain reaction of events such as a nomination for Rising Female Star, Most Promising Band, by the Tejano music industry, and was also invited by the

Tejano Music Awards The Tejano Music Awards (TMA) is an accolade created by former arts teacher and musician Rudy Trevino in 1980. The accolade recognizes outstanding performers of Tejano music, a German polka-based Latin music genre recorded in Spanish or English-la ...

to present Male Vocalist Award for 1996. Moreover, Esmi was recognized as 1996 Best New Artist at the Hispanic Music Awards held in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

and also became spokesperson for

Toys for Tots Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks. The ...

in that region. Her second album ''Si Supieras'', released in 1996, is a compilation of songs inspired by the love that she shared with Adam Vargas, with songs such as "Todo Mi Amor" which samples

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

's "All of my Love." Later that year, Esmi was invited by the

American GI Forum The American GI Forum (AGIF) is a congressionally chartered Hispanic veterans and civil rights organization founded in 1948. Its motto is "Education is Our Freedom and Freedom should be Everybody's Business". AGIF operates chapters throughout ...

to perform in the

Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo ( in Mexico, Spanish for "Fifth of May") is a yearly celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoz ...

Festival in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. Esmi performed alongside international acts such as

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer and actress. Referred to as the " Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most successful and influential Mexican artists. Havin ...

Spanish Fly The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparations ...

Nu Flavor Nu Flavor is an R&B quartet from Long Beach, California consisting of Jacob Ceniceros (baritone), Anthony DaCosta (tenor), Rigo Luna (alto), and Frank Pangelinan, Jr. (tenor/lead). History Nu Flavor formed in 1994. Under their manager's directio ...

, and many others. Her third album ''Alas De Un Sueño'' was released in 1997. With many of the songs written by Esmi and Adam Vargas, "Ojos de Serpiente" and "Vamos a Bailar" would be the leading singles. Esmi Talamantez Y Viento Loco performed on many popular TV programs such as "The

Johnny Canales Juan José "Johnny" Canales (born 1947 in General Treviño, Nuevo León, Mexico) is a Mexican retired Tejano singer and former host of the television show "''The Johnny Canales Show''". Canales is credited with one of the first live performances o ...

Show", Puro Tejano, Tejano Country, Aqui Rogelio, "Siempre en Domingo," and the "Hora Lunatica" show in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, gaining national and international exposure. Esmi and Viento Loco would perform all throughout Texas as well as in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Living up to her family's musical legacy, Esmi's talent is derived from her past and present family members. Both of Esmi's grandfathers were musicians and song writers. Esmi's father, Ray Talamantez Sr., is an accomplished musician who has "jammed" with many great Tejano bands including Tortilla Factory, Brown Brandy, Little Joe Hernandez, and many others. Ray Talamantez Jr. is the former saxophone and trumpet player for La Sombra. Following in her footsteps, Esmi's sisters follow right along with their recognizable musical talents for playing saxophone, trumpet, and their outstanding harmonizing skills. Abel Talamantez, the youngest member of the family, has built his own reputation having performed with Menudo, the

Kumbia Kings The Kumbia Kings were a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia (hence their name), hip hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. ...

, and now Los Super Reyes. Esmi and her band were greatly influenced by local and

traditional music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

as well as

Rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

of the 1970s and 80s, including bands such as Led Zeppelin,

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

The Bee Gees ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

, and

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...

Discography

* 1995: ''Esmi Talamantez'' (Fonovisa) * 1996: ''Si Supieras'' (Fonovisa) * 1997: ''Alas De Un Sueño'' (Fonovisa)

External links

Esmi Talamantez Y Viento Loco Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talamantez, Esmi American women singers Living people American musicians of Mexican descent People from Pecos, Texas Spanish-language singers of the United States Singers from Texas Year of birth missing (living people) University of Texas at El Paso alumni Hispanic and Latino American women singers 21st-century American women