Ramon Ayala
Encyclopedia
Ramon Ayala is a bajo sexto
player from Donna, Texas, who currently resides in the Rio Grande Valley
. He is the son of Pedro Ayala
. His progressive style and technique has earned him the 2009 Bajo Sexto Player of the Year Award from the South Texas Conjunto Association. In 2009 he celebrated his 45th career anniversary.
in 1951. Ramon Ayala learned the drums 1954. In 1955, he picked-up the bajo sexto
where his father Pedro Ayala
El Monarca del Acordeón showed him his first two chords. By 1956 Ramon Ayala and his brother Pedro Ayala Jr., who played accordion, joined their father in Pedro Ayala
y Su Conjunto. Since 1956 Ramon Ayala has gone on to record for over a dozen studios releasing 88 recordings in album, 45, cassette, and cd formats. Ramon Ayala recorded with Freddy Fender
, Paulino Bernal
, Esteban Jordan
among others. To date he has released 105 recordings.
Bajo sexto
A bajo sexto is a musical instrument with 12 strings in 6 double courses, used in Mexican music. It is used primarily in norteño music of northern Mexico and across the border in the music of south Texas known as "Tex-Mex", "conjunto, or "música mexicana-tejana".A similar instrument with five...
player from Donna, Texas, who currently resides in the Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
. He is the son of Pedro Ayala
Pedro Ayala
Pedro Ayala , called "El Monarca del Acordeón", was an American accordionist and songwriter from Donna, Texas. Pedro Ayala lead the birth of conjunto music with his distinctive accordion playing, receiving a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award for his contribution to...
. His progressive style and technique has earned him the 2009 Bajo Sexto Player of the Year Award from the South Texas Conjunto Association. In 2009 he celebrated his 45th career anniversary.
Career
Ramon Ayala started playing the accordionAccordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
in 1951. Ramon Ayala learned the drums 1954. In 1955, he picked-up the bajo sexto
Bajo sexto
A bajo sexto is a musical instrument with 12 strings in 6 double courses, used in Mexican music. It is used primarily in norteño music of northern Mexico and across the border in the music of south Texas known as "Tex-Mex", "conjunto, or "música mexicana-tejana".A similar instrument with five...
where his father Pedro Ayala
Pedro Ayala
Pedro Ayala , called "El Monarca del Acordeón", was an American accordionist and songwriter from Donna, Texas. Pedro Ayala lead the birth of conjunto music with his distinctive accordion playing, receiving a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award for his contribution to...
El Monarca del Acordeón showed him his first two chords. By 1956 Ramon Ayala and his brother Pedro Ayala Jr., who played accordion, joined their father in Pedro Ayala
Pedro Ayala
Pedro Ayala , called "El Monarca del Acordeón", was an American accordionist and songwriter from Donna, Texas. Pedro Ayala lead the birth of conjunto music with his distinctive accordion playing, receiving a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award for his contribution to...
y Su Conjunto. Since 1956 Ramon Ayala has gone on to record for over a dozen studios releasing 88 recordings in album, 45, cassette, and cd formats. Ramon Ayala recorded with Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender , born Baldemar Garza Huerta in San Benito, Texas, United States, was a Mexican-American Tejano, country and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados...
, Paulino Bernal
Paulino Bernal
Paulino Bernal is an accordion player and Christian evangelist. He was a member of the Tejano Tex-Mex group Conjunto Bernal....
, Esteban Jordan
Esteban Jordan
Esteban "Steve" Jordan was a jazz, rock, blues, conjunto and Tejano musician from the United States. He was also known as "El Parche", "The Jimi Hendrix of the accordion", and "the accordion wizard"...
among others. To date he has released 105 recordings.
External links
- http://www.thev247.com/entertainment/ayala-1194-conjunto-pedro.html
- The Arhoolie Foundation 1
- The Arhoolie Foundation 2
- The Arhoolie Foundation 3