Biography

Ramones de Nuevo Leon are a norteño quintet from the west central portion of the Mexican state of Nuevo León, Mexico. Their style is deeply based on traditional music from their homeland. The group was founded by brothers Jaime and Jesús Alejandro Flores González on lead vocals and accordion, and second voice and bass, respectively. They started out when they were just seven and nine years old under the name Los Flores, which later changed to Los Ramoncitos. They dressed in regional retro '70s-era costumes and began singing virtually anywhere that would have them. After establishing a local following, they enlisted Antonio Eduardo Flores Cortez on bajo sexto, Héctor Omar Esquivel Valdez on drums, and Francisco Lugo Martínez on saxophone in 2007, establishing a fuller and more classic sound, and they collectively changed their name to Ramones de Nuevo Leon. The group continued to toil at local festivals, weddings, parades, and fairs. They were playing all traditional songs at that point, but the endless gigs on the backs of trucks and from small stages brought them greater mastery over their instruments and they began writing their own material. They also began using social media, including YouTube, and came to the attention of producers, agents, managers, and other artists, who not only saw them, but also the numbers of views their videos generated. Their big break came when they were invited to contribute two of their own songs to the norteño tribute album Amigos Desde el Rancho. The songs "En Toda la Chapa" and "Ingratos Ojos Míos" were interpreted by El Palomo y el Gorrión. Other participants included Lorenzo de Monteclaro, Héctor Montemayor, Carlos y José, and Juan Villarreal. The album was a best-seller; it gave the group enough income to continue to release videos at a rapid pace. In 2012, Ramones de Nuevo Leon participated in the state government-organized Los Niños del Noreste y Su Música competition with 179 other acts. They won. They were signed to Vista Media and recorded their debut album Sigue la Tradición. Two of its promotional video singles -- "Flor Hermosa" and the cover "Misa de Siete" -- both hit Billboard's Mexican Regional Songs charts. Their 2016 album, Tierra Mojada, placed on the Top Latin albums charts in the spring. In 2017, the group issued Mexico Cantaba V1, a collection of norteños, mariachis, polkas, and other regional music hits made famous by other artists. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi