Santiago Almeida (July 25, 1911 – July 8, 1999) was a

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 ...

musician influential in the development of the musical genres of '' tejano'' and ''

conjunto The term ''conjunto'' (, literally 'group', 'ensemble') refers to several types of small musical ensembles present in different Latin American musical traditions, mainly in Mexico and Cuba. While Mexican conjuntos play styles such as '' norteño' ...

''.

Biography

Almeida was born in

Skidmore, Texas Skidmore is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bee County, Texas, United States. The population was 925 at the 2010 census. Geography Skidmore is located in southern Bee County at (28.255244, -97.681956). U.S. Route 181 passes through the commu ...

and grew up on a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

. In his teens played the ''

bajo sexto Bajo sexto (Spanish: "sixth bass") is a Mexican string instrument from the guitar family with 12 strings in six double courses. A closely related instrument is the bajo quinto (Spanish: "fifth bass") which has 10 strings in five double courses ...

'' in his family's ensemble, ''La Orquestra Almeida''. In the mid-1930s, Almeida began playing with accordionist Narciso Martínez at local dances and festivals around Brownsville, Texas and

Raymondville, Texas Raymondville is a city in and the county seat of Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,284 at the 2010 census. It may be included as part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropo ...

. Local merchant and furniture store owner Enrique Valentin heard them and persuaded recording director Eli Oberstein to record them for the Bluebird label. In 1935, Almeida and Martinez recorded a single for

Bluebird Records Bluebird Records is a record label best known for its low-cost releases, primarily of kids' music, blues and jazz in the 1930s and 1940s. It was founded in 1932 as a lower-priced RCA Victor subsidiary label of RCA Victor. Bluebird became known ...

, "La Chicharronera" b/w "El Troconal" (the former a polka and the latter a schottische). These are generally regarded as the earliest known recordings of ''conjunto'' music. The duo would record extensively for Bluebird, releasing some 60 additional singles for the label between 1935 and 1938. The pair's popularity grew as a result, and they performed extensively, both live in South Texas and on record as backing musicians for ''conjunto'' singers. In the 1940s, the pair continued to record for

Ideal Records Ideal Records was a record label from Texas specializing in Tejano music. It became the most important record label of the genre in the 1940s and 1950s, recording tejano's most prominent artists. It declined in the early 1960s, but not before le ...

and Disco de Oro. By the late 1940s, Almeida had amassed a large family and found his musical success more difficult to sustain. He moved to

Sunnyside, Washington Sunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 16,375 at the 2020 census. History Up through the early portion of the 19th century, the portion of the Yakima Valley where Sunnyside is now located was inhabit ...

in 1950, working as an apple picker and music teacher. He continued to perform locally at gatherings and in churches for the next several decades. Almeida died July 8, 1999 in Sunnyside, Washington.

Awards and honors

In 1987, his contributions to music were recognized when he was inducted into the Conjunto Hall of Fame in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. In 1993 he was awarded the Governor's Heritage Award in Washington. He was also a 1993 recipient of 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 ...

from 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 highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States. In 2005, he was inducted posthumously into the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum in San Benito.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Almeida, Santiago 1911 births 1999 deaths American session musicians People from Bee County, Texas Hispanic and Latino American musicians American musicians of Mexican descent Tejano musicians 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Texas National Heritage Fellowship winners Bluebird Records artists