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Natividad "Nati" Cano (June 23, 1933 – October 3, 2014) was a Mexican-born American
mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...
musician and former, longtime leader of Mariachi los Camperos, a
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning
mariachi band Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...
based in Los Angeles. According to the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'', Mariachi los Camperos is "widely considered one of the top mariachi ensembles in the country". In 1990, Cano was awarded a
National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's ...
by the
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.


Early life

Natividad Cano was born in the village of Ahuisculco,
Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal ...
, Mexico, on June 23, 1933. This is the area of Mexico where the mariachi tradition originated. His family members worked as day laborers, but they also played mariachi during their spare time. Cano's grandfather Catarino was a self-taught guitarron player, and his father Sotero was a musician who played all of the mariachi stringed instruments. In 1939, at age six, Nati was taught to play the
Mexican vihuela The Mexican vihuela is a guitar-like string instrument from 19th-century Mexico with five strings and typically played in mariachi groups. Description Although the Mexican vihuela has the same name as the historical Spanish plucked string i ...
. Two years later, Nati enrolled in the Academia de Musica in
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...
, where he studied the violin for six years.


Career

Cano traveled to the northern city of
Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is home to 1,000,0 ...
in 1950, where he joined the Mariachi Chapala and quickly became its arranger, although he was ten years younger than most of the band members. He immigrated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, California in 1960, and joined the Mariachi Águila. The then-leader of that band, Jose Frias, was killed in a traffic accident. Cano took over the band as its leader and renamed it Mariachi los Camperos, meaning "Countrymen". The band has played across the United States, including such landmarks as
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...
,
Disney Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...
,
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...
, the
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
, and the
Orange County Performing Arts Center Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
. Under Cano, Mariachi los Camperos performed with singer Linda Ronstadt on her 1987 album, '' Canciones de Mi Padre'', and its sequel, '' Mas Canciones'', released in 1992. Mariachi los Camperos won a Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Album for their 2008 album, ''Amor, Dolor Y Lágrimas.'' In 1969, Cano opened a restaurant, La Fonda, located on
Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...
. He had vowed to one day own his own restaurant after being refused service at an eatery in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. La Fonda closed in 2007, but reopened with Los Camperos in March 2016. Starting in the 1980s, Cano focused on mentoring young people in the mariachi tradition. For close to thirty years, he led workshops for youth across the American Southwest. Cano taught and lectured on
ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...
at
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...
. He stepped down as leader of Mariachi los Camperos in the 2000s due to declining health, but continued to perform with the group.


Death

Cano died from colon cancer at his home in Fillmore, California, on October 3, 2014, at the age of 81. He was survived by his wife, Andrea, and two daughters, Alejandra and Natalie.


Awards and honors

* 1990
National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's ...
* 2006 Grammy Award nomination for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album for ''¡Llegaron Los Camperos! Concert Favorites Of Nati Cano’s Mariachi Los Camperos'' *2009 Grammy Award win for Best Regional Mexican Album for ''Amor, Dolor Y Lágrimas: Música Ranchera'' (Mariachi los Camperos) *2016 Grammy Award nomination for Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) for ''Tradición, Arte Y Pasión'' (Mariachi los Camperos)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cano, Nati 1933 births 2014 deaths Mariachi musicians Mexican emigrants to the United States People from Fillmore, California People from Jalisco Grammy Award winners National Heritage Fellowship winners Players of the Mexican vihuela