Manuel Esperón González (August 3, 1911 – February 13, 2011) was a Mexican songwriter and composer."Biografía de Manuel Esperón González (Biography of Manuel Esperón González)"
. Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México (SACM) (Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico). Along with the famous Mexican author Ernesto Cortazar, Esperón cowrote many songs for Mexican films, including "

¡Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes! "¡Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!" or in English ''Jalisco, don't back down'' is a Mexican ranchera song composed by Manuel Esperón with lyrics by Ernesto Cortázar Sr. It was written in 1941 and featured in the 1941 Mexican film '' ¡Ay Jalisco, no ...

" for the 1941 film of the same name, "Cocula" for ''El Peñón de las Ánimas'' (''

The Rock of Souls ''The Rock of Souls'' (Spanish: ''El Peñón de las Ánimas'') is a Mexican movie produced in 1943, directed by Miguel Zacarías and starring Jorge Negrete and María Félix.Baugh, p. 80 It is the first movie to star María Félix, one of the lege ...

'') (1943), and "Amor con amor se paga" for ''Hay un niño en su futuro'' (1952). Other Esperón compositions have become Latin standards such as "Yo soy mexicano", "Noche plateada" and "No volveré", which was used in the first episode of the 2001 soap opera ''El juego de la vida''. Among other performers,

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera music singer and actor, whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. His popularity spread across Latin America. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa ...

Los Panchos Originally, Trio Los Panchos are a '' trío romántico'' formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exponents of the bolero and the romantic ballad in Latin America. I ...

, and

Jorge Negrete Jorge Alberto Negrete Moreno (; 30 November 1911 – 5 December 1953) was a Mexican singer and actor. Life and career Negrete was born in the city of Guanajuato and had two brothers and three sisters; his father was a Mexican Army Colonel who ...

have made his songs well-known. His fame in the USA derives from when his song ''The Three Caballeros'' was used in the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film ''

The Three Caballeros ''The Three Caballeros'' is a 1944 American live-action/animated musical anthology film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the United States on ...

'' (1944). Esperón was born 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 ...

. He retired in 1987, although his songs continued to be used in

filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

and

television production A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

Awards

In 1989, Esperón was awarded the Premier National Prize of Mexico for Art and Traditional Culture (''de Artes y Tradiciones Populares'')."Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes"
, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Secretaría de Educación Pública, in Spanish, accessed 24 January 2010. In 2001, he was given a tribute at the

Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to ...

in the historical center of

. Until his death in 2011, he was the honorary President for life of the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico.

Selected filmography

* '' While Mexico Sleeps'' (1938) * ''

'' (1942) * ''

María Eugenia ''María Eugenia'' is a 1943 Mexican drama film directed by Felipe Gregorio Castillo and starring María Félix, alongside Manolita Saval and Rafael Baledón. The film's sets were designed by the art director Manuel Fontanals. Cast * María F� ...

'' (1943) * ''

The Escape The Escape may refer to: Film and television * ''The Escape'' (1914 film), American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith * ''The Escape'' (1926 film), American silent film * ''The Escape'' (1928 film), American film * ''The Escape'' (1939 f ...

'' (1944) * ''

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

'' (1946) * ''

Tragic Wedding ''Tragic Wedding'' (Spanish:''Bodas trágicas'') is a 1946 Mexican drama film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Roberto Silva, Miroslava and Ernesto Alonso.Berumen p.339 The film's sets were designed by the art director Jorge ...

'' (1946) * '' The Associate'' (1946) * ''

The Golden Boat ''The Golden Boat'' is a 1990 American low-budget film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz. Shot in New York City, ''The Golden Boat'' is Ruiz's first film produced in the United States and has been categorized as an absurdist black comedy ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Private Life of Mark Antony and Cleopatra ''The Private Life of Mark Antony and Cleopatra'' (Spanish:''La vida íntima de Marco Antonio y Cleopatra'') is a 1947 Mexican historical comedy film directed by Roberto Gavaldón and starring Luis Sandrini, María Antonieta Pons and Víctor Junco. ...

'' (1947) * ''

Flor de caña ''Flor de caña'' ("Sugarcane Flower") is a 1948 Mexican film. It was written by Luis Alcoriza Luis Alcoriza de la Vega (September 5, 1918 – December 3, 1992) was a respected Mexican screenwriter, film director, and actor. Alcoriza was ...

'' (1948) * ''

The Perez Family ''The Perez Family'' is an American comedy film released in 1995 about a group of Cuban refugees in America who pretend to be a family. It stars Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, Anjelica Huston, Chazz Palminteri, and other well-known actors. It w ...

'' (1949) * ''

Angels of the Arrabal ''Angels of the Arrabal'' (Spanish:''Ángeles de arrabal'') is a 1949 Mexican crime film directed by Raúl de Anda and starring Sofía Álvarez, David Silva and Carlos López Moctezuma.Riera p.163 The film's sets were designed by the art direct ...

'' (1949) * ''

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

'' (1949) * '' The Woman of the Port'' (1949) * ''

If I Were Just Anyone ''If I Were Just Anyone'' (Spanish: ''Si fuera una cualquiera'') is a 1950 Mexican drama film directed by Ernesto Cortázar and starring Meche Barba and Fernando Fernández. The film is the sequel to the film '' Love Street''. Plot Fernando ( Fer ...

'' (1950) * ''

Immaculate The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

'' (1950) * ''

The Beautiful Dreamer ''The Beautiful Dreamer'' (Spanish: ''El bello durmiente'') is a 1952 Mexican comedy film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Germán Valdés, Lilia del Valle and Wolf Ruvinskis.Schroeder Rodríguez p.117 The film's sets were desi ...

'' (1952) * ''

A Place Near Heaven ''A Place Near Heaven'' (Spanish: ''Un rincón cerca del cielo'') is a 1952 Mexican comedy drama film directed by Rogelio A. González and starring Pedro Infante, Marga López and Andrés Soler.De la Mora, p. 79. The film's art direction was by ...

'' (1952) * ''

Now I Am Rich ''Now I Am Rich'' (Spanish: ''Ahora soy rico'') is a 1952 Mexican drama film directed by Rogelio A. González and starring Pedro Infante, Marga López and Antonio Aguilar.Amador, p. 107. The film's art direction was by Jorge Fernández. Main ...

'' (1952) * '' The Vagabond'' (1953) * ''

You've Got Me By the Wing ''You've Got Me By the Wing'' (Spanish: ''Me traes de un ala'') is a 1953 Mexican comedy film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Germán Valdés, Silvia Pinal and Aurora Segura.Amador, p. 116. Cast * Germán Valdés as Tin Tan * ...

'' (1953) * '' Made for Each Other'' (1953) * '' The Unknown Mariachi'' (1953) * ''

When I Leave ''When I Leave'' (Spanish:''Cuando me vaya'') is a 1954 Mexican musical drama film directed by Tito Davison and starring Libertad Lamarque, Miguel Torruco and Prudencia Grifell. It portrays the life of the bolero composer María Grever.Irwin & Ri ...

'' (1954) * ''

Bluebeard "Bluebeard" (french: Barbe bleue, ) is a French folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in ''Histoires ou contes du temps passé''. The tale tells the st ...

'' (1955) * ''

Pablo and Carolina ''Pablo and Carolina'' (Spanish:''Pablo y Carolina'') is a 1957 Mexican romantic comedy film directed by Mauricio de la Serna and starring Pedro Infante, Irasema Dilián, Alejandro Ciangherotti, and premiered after Infante's death. The film's set ...

'' (1957) * ''

Puss Without Boots ''Puss Without Boots'' (Spanish:''El gato sin botas'') is a 1957 Mexican comedy film directed by Fernando Cortés and starring Germán Valdés, Martha Valdés and Nono Arsu.Monsiváis & Kraniauskas p.117 Cast * Germán Valdés as Agustín Tancre ...

'' (1957) * '' A Thousand and One Nights'' (1958) * ''

It Happened in Mexico It or IT may refer to: * It (pronoun), in English * Information technology Arts and media Film and television * ''It'' (1927 film), a film starring Clara Bow * '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'', a 1958 science fiction film * ''It!'' (1967 ...

'' (1958) *''

The Life of Agustín Lara ''The Life of Agustín Lara'' (Spanish: ''La vida de Agustín Lara'') is a 1959 Mexican musical film directed by Alejandro Galindo and starring Germán Robles, Lorena Velázquez and Ofelia Montesco.Mora p.261 It is a biographical film about the l ...

'' (1959) * '' Love in the Shadows'' (1960) * ''

Three Black Angels ''Three Black Angels'' (Spanish: ''Tres angelitos negros'') is a 1960 Mexican comedy film directed by Fernando Cortés and starring Miguel Aceves Mejía, Yolanda Varela and Pedro Vargas.Amador & Blanco p.158 Cast * Miguel Aceves Mejía as Ángel ...

'' (1960) * ''

The Partisan of Villa ''The Partisan of Villa'' (Spanish:''La guerrillera de Villa'') is a 1967 Spanish-Mexican comedy film directed by Miguel Morayta and starring Carmen Sevilla, Julio Alemán Julio Méndez Alemán (November 29, 1933 – April 11, 2012) was a ...

'' (1967)

References

External links

* * Bush, John. "Manuel Esperón: Biography" ''Allmusic.com''
"Manuel Esperón: Filmography"
''fandango.com'' 1911 births 2011 deaths Musicians from Mexico City Mexican composers Mexican male composers Golden Ariel Award winners Latin music composers {{Mexico-composer-stub