| Rey Reyna III | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rey Reyna III |
| Born | December 8, 1945 Monterrey, Mexico[1] |
| Genres | Norteño |
| Instruments | Accordion |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Labels | Freddie Records[2] |
Ramón Ayala (born December 8, 1945, in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México) is a Mexican-American musician, composer, and songwriter of norteño and conjunto music. Known as the "King of the Accordion," Ayala has recorded over 105 albums for which he has received four Grammy Awards. Additionally, Ayala has been featured in thirteen movies. A legend of norteño music, Ayala is one of the most recognized and best-selling artists of this genre of Mexican-American music, breaking many sales records along the way.
Ramón Ayala, the son of local musician Ramón Cobarrubias, began playing his favorite instrument, the accordion at the very young age of six years. Inspired and supported by his parents, he performed in different public places to help his modest family. Ramón Ayala's first band experience was a group called Los Jilgueros de Marin; he later joined Los Pavoreales.
After moving to Reynosa, a border town in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, the talented musician met Cornelio Reyna at a cantina called "El Cadillac" and formed Los Relampagos Del Norte; the group soon made a self-titled debut album which featured the hit single "Ya No Llores." in 1963. For the next eight years, Los Relampagos Del Norte tore up the musical charts by revolutionizing/reinventing norteño music, a genre that was then considered exclusively cantina music. Ramon Ayala and Cornelio Reyna livened the music and lyrics in order to reach and appeal more people. The talented duo recorded a total of 20 albums and leaving behind many classics such "El Disgusto", "Devolucion", "Mi Tesoro", "Tengo Miedo" and many others.
In 1971, Cornelio Reyna decided to leave Los Relampagos del Norte and make a transition to the mariachi genre. At the time, many music experts felt that Ramon Ayala's short career was doomed since Cornelio Reyna was the voice of Los Relampagos Del Norte and he was just the accordion player. Surprisingly enough, Cornelio Reyna's mariachi career was mediocre at best and never again did he reach the same levels of fame once experienced while in Los Relampagos Del Norte.
Ramon Ayala set out to prove that he could make it on his own and formed the legendary band, Ramon Ayala Y Los Bravos Del Norte in late 1971. By early next year, Ramon Ayala was growing and already making a name for himself with his new vocalist, Antonio Sauceda.