Tomás Méndez (born Tomás Méndez Sosa; July 25, 1927 – June 19, 1995) was a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

composer and singer of

Mexican music The music of Mexico is very diverse and features a wide range of musical genres and performance styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, most notably deriving from the culture of the Europeans, Indigenous, and Africans. It also ...

and

ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk music ...

music. He was born in

Fresnillo Fresnillo (/fres'nijo/), founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico and the seat of Fresnillo municipality. As a rail and highway junction, Fresnillo is the center of a rich mining ...

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

, Mexico. He obtained his first success in 1954 with the Mexican music song "Gorrioncillo pecho amarillo" and continued in the same year with the

huapango is a family of Mexican music styles. The word likely derives from the Nahuatl word that literally means 'on top of the wood', alluding to a wooden platform on which dancers perform dance steps. It is interpreted in different forms, the most ...

s like "

Cucurrucucú paloma "Cucurrucucú paloma" (Spanish for ''Coo-coo dove'') is a Mexican huapango-style song written by Tomás Méndez in 1954. The title is an onomatopeic reference to the characteristic call of the mourning dove, which is evoked in the refrain. The l ...

" and "Desafío". He died 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 ...

on June 19, 1995. The song "Cucurrucucú paloma" was played in many movie pictures like '' The Last Sunset'', '' Happy Together'', ''

Talk to Her ''Talk to Her'' ( es, Hable con ella) is a 2002 Spanish drama written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosario Flores. The film follows two men who form an u ...

'' and '' The Five Year Engagement'' and has also been performed by notable singers such as

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

Lola Beltrán María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz (7 March 1932 – 24 March 1996), known professionally as Lola Beltrán, was a Mexican actress and singer. Beltrán is and was one of Mexico's most acclaimed singers of Ranchera and Huapango music. She made the ...

and

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...

Songs

*"Pobre Leña de Pirul" *"Gorrioncillo pecho amarillo" *"

" *"Golondrina presumida" *"Huapango torero" *"Las rejas no matan" *"Que me toquen las golondrinas" *" Paloma negra" *"Puñalada trapera" *"Tres días" *"La Muerte de Un Gallero" *"La Melina Que Se Fue"

External links

* (Spanish) 1927 births 1995 deaths People from Fresnillo Mexican male composers Ranchera singers 20th-century composers 20th-century Mexican male singers {{mexico-composer-stub