Craft Latino proudly pays tribute today to one of Mexico’s greatest stars, Antonio Aguilar, on what would have been his 100th birthday, with the release of Antonio Aguilar Centenario: Colección de la Familia—a 100-song playlist curated by his son Pepe Aguilar and family. Available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other streaming platforms, the career-spanning playlist includes the Aguilar family’s personal favorites from Don Antonio’s extensive catalog, including his biggest hits (“Albur de Amor,” “Un Puño de Tierra”) as well as songs made popular by his iconic films (“Heraclio Bernal,” “Caballo Prieto Azabache”). Listeners will enjoy a variety of styles like rancheras (Mexican folk songs), corridos (storytelling ballads), tambora (a style of banda music from Aguilar’s home state of Zacatecas) and the popular mariachi.
Listen to the Antonio Aguilar Centenario: Colección de la Familia playlist: HERE.
Colección de la Familia will kick off an exciting year for fans of Antonio Aguilar. Additionally, in celebration of the artist’s centennial, Craft Latino is working closely with members of Don Antonio’s talented family on a historic, one-of-a-kind homage to the Mexican legend. This cutting-edge project—to be announced in the coming months—will artfully blend the past with the present, including several new recordings as well as fresh video content, and feature members of the Aguilar Dynasty paying tribute to the man that started it all and his remarkable legacy.
Antonio Aguilar (1919 – 2007) shone across multiple mediums as a beloved actor, singer, producer, screenwriter and equestrian. Fondly known as “El Charro de México” (Mexico’s Horseman), Aguilar began his career in the early ’50s and would go on to make 167 films and record more than 150 albums, selling a staggering 25 million copies during his five-decade-long career. Often compared to American actors like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Ronald Reagan, Aguilar starred in films about rural heroes and revolutionaries during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In 1969, he also appeared in an American Western, The Undefeated, alongside John Wayne and Rock Hudson.
Don Antonio was also a pioneer in the music industry. He signed with Mexico’s legendary Musart Records in 1950 and, by the ’60s, was one of the label’s best-selling artists. His sold-out shows were unique in their own right—Aguilar was the first musician to incorporate his country’s national sport of la charrería (a stylized form of rodeo) as part of his concerts, complete with bull-riding and roping, while the star would also show off his own equestrian skills on stage. In the mid-’80s, Aguilar gained a new generation of fans with his hit song, “Triste Recuerdo,” which revived the popularity of the tambura style of music. Aguilar also opened the door for Latin artists in the United States: he broke records as the first Hispanic musician to sell out Madison Square Garden for a staggering nine nights over the course of his career, while also performing to sold-out crowds at prestigious venues across the country, including the Los Angeles Sports Arena and The International Theatre in Chicago. In 2000, Don Antonio was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the recording industry, while in 2004 he received a Latin GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award.
A famously humble family man, Don Antonio was married to prominent Mexican singer, actress and equestrienne Flor Silvestre, whom he often performed alongside both on film and on stage. The two icons passed down their love of performing to their children—Antonio Aguilar, Jr.became an actor and recording artist, while Pepe Aguilar became a multi-faceted star in his own right, as an independent singer, songwriter and producer. The latter, a four-time GRAMMY® winner and five-time Latin GRAMMY® winner, has released 27 albums to-date, selling over 15 million records. An avid businessman, Pepe Aguilar also runs his own independent label and recording studio. In 2012, his international popularity earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was placed next to his father’s.
Now, a new generation of the Aguilar Dynasty are carrying on Don Antonio’s torch: grandchildren Leonardo and Majo are both popular recording artists, while 15-year old Ángela became one of the youngest artists ever to be nominated for a GRAMMY® for her solo debut, Primero Soy Mexicana. Undoubtedly, the Aguilar Dynasty will continue to honor Antonio’s legacy—influencing Mexican culture in music, film and television—for many years to come.
