1970s in Latin music

This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in Latin music in the 1970s, namely in Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal). This includes recordings, festivals, award ceremonies, births and deaths of Latin music artists, and the rise and fall of various subgenres in Latin music from 1970 to 1979.

By 1975, music market analysts predicted an 8 to 10% growth of Latin music internationally.^[1] This growth also expanded into the United States which led to record labels of promoting Latin artists in the country. According to Billboard's Marv Fisher, " international labels are increasingly involved throughout Latin America".^[2]

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias was among the pioneers of the balada craze of the 1970s. He would eventually be recognized as the best selling male Latin artist of all time by the Guinness World Record in 2013.

Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel was one of the most prolific singers of the balada genre during the 1970s.

Latin America went through the balada craze with balladeers from both the region and Spain having a huge Latin audience. Artists include José José, Roberto Carlos, Juan Gabriel, and Julio Iglesias. The latter artist would later become the best-selling male Latin artist of all time.^[3]

Vicente Fernández was the most popular ranchera singer during the 1970s.

Norteño group Los Tigres del Norte became well-known for their social commentary tracks.

Mariachi music in 1970s, while still popular in the Regional Mexican music field, was named "the last great decade for mariachi music" according to the Los Angeles Times critic Augustin Gurza.^[4] The Mexican farmworkers movement since the 1960s led to the popularity corridos which dealt with their impoverished lives.^[5] Most notably, norteño group Los Tigres del Norte emerged having performed songs that deal with social commentary.^[6] Another emerging genre in the Regional Mexican field was Tejano.^[7] Rigo Tovar modernized the Mexican style of cumbia by combining it with rock including utilizing an electric guitar and a synthesizer.^[8]

Rubén Blades (left) and Celia Cruz (right) were instrumental in popularizing the salsa music genre.

Salsa music was the dominant genre in the tropical field in the 1970s. Fania Records was the prime record label for popularizing and defining salsa music with artists such as Celia Cruz, Rubén Blades, Héctor Lavoe, and Willie Colón.^[9] The Colombian vallenato remains popular in the country with artists such as Diomedes Diaz.^[10] Likewise, the country's cumbia expanded its popularity outside of country into other Latin American nations including Mexico. Like its Mexican counterpart, the Colombia cumbia saw changes in the genre with the use of a bass guitar, organ, and less emphasis on brass instruments.^[11]

During the 1970s in Latin America, the 1960s music influence remained strong and two styles developed from it one that followed the European and North American trends and Nueva Canción that focused on the renewal of folklore including Andean music and cueca. Some bands such as Los Jaivas from Chile mixed both streams and created a syncretism between folklore and progressive rock. The Nueva Canción movement got an even more marked protest association after all countries in the Southern Cone became (or were already) military dictatorships in the 1970s. In Chile, the Nueva canción styles developed through the 1970s would remain popular until the return to democracy in 1990.

In the 1970s, rock en Español began to emerge (especially in Argentina), and as imitation bands became fewer, rock music started to develop more independently from the outside, although many rock bands still preferred to sing in English. The Argentine defeat in the Falklands War in 1982 followed by the fall of the mhilitary junta that year diminished need of Nueva Canción as protest music there in favour of other styles.

Jorge Ben was a fundamental figure in establishing the samba rock genre.

Chico Buarque was one of the key musicians of the Música popular brasileira genre

Jorge Ben's Fôrça Bruta's fusion of Trio Mocotó's groove and Ben's more rockish guitar proved to be a distinctive feature of what critics and musicians later called samba rock.^[12] The 1970s also saw the rise of Música popular brasileira, a form of protest songs against the Brazilian military dictatorship. Among the key musicians in the genre was Chico Buarque who was exiled from the country.^[13]

• March 10-14 – Cláudya, representing Brazil, wins the second and final Festival Mundial de la Canción Latina with her song "Canção de amor e paz".^[14]

• April 19 – Luis Miguel, Mexican pop singer
• November 24 – Julieta Venegas, Mexican alternative singer

• March 9 – Diego Torres, Argentine pop singer
• April 16 – Selena, American Tejano singer (d. 1995)
• April 24 – Alejandro Fernández, Mexican ranchera and pop singer
• June 17 – Paulina Rubio, Mexican pop singer
• July 5 – Descemer Bueno, Cuban singer-songwriter
• July 30 – Elvis Crespo, Puerto Rican merengue singer
• August 26 – Thalía, Mexican pop singer
• November 25 – Tommy Torres, Puerto Rican pop singer
• December 24 – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican pop singer
• December 31 – Claudio Bermúdez, Mexican pop singer

• November 11 – Billboard magazine announces a new section on its printed magazines titled "Latin Music Spotlight" (later known as "Latin Notas"), which covers three pages of Latin music-related news^[15]
• November 24 – Claudia Regina [es] and Tobias, representing Brazil win the inaugural OTI Festival with their song "Diálogo".^[16]
• December 9 – The first Latin albums chart are compiled by Billboard,under the title the Hot Latin LP's, which surveys sales of Latin LP's in selected regions in the United States including Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Texas.^[17]

• March 4 – Ivy Queen, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer
• March 9 – Giro, Puerto Rican salsa singer
• August 9 – Juanes, Colombian pop rock singer
• December 1 – Manny Manuel, Puerto Rican merengue singer

• November 10 – Imelda Miller [es], representing Mexico, wins the 2nd Annual OTI Festival with her song "Que Alegre Va María".^[16]

• April 16 – Nino Bravo, Spanish pop singer
• November 23 – José Alfredo Jiménez, Mexican ranchera singer

• February 8 – Fanny Lu, Colombian tropipop singer
• July 21 – Fey, Mexican pop singer
• July 31 – Jerry Rivera, Puerto Rican salsa singer

• October 26 – Nydia Caro, representing Puerto Rico, wins the 3rd Annual OTI Festival with her song "Solo Canto por Cantar".^[16]

• January 30 – Charlie Zaa, Colombian bolero singer
• March 8 – Carlos Baute, Venezuelan pop singer
• April 18 – Millie Corretjer, Puerto Rican pop singer
• May 16 – Laura Pausini, Italian pop singer
• December 8 – Cristian Castro, Mexican pop singer

• May 17 – The Recording Academy announces that it will include a new category for Latin music for the following Grammy Awards. This marks the first time that a Grammy Award is presented for Latin music.^[18]
• November 15 – Gualberto Castro, representing Mexico, wins the 4th Annual OTI Festival with his song "La felicidad".^[16]

• May 8 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish pop singer

• February 28 – For the first time in Latin music history, a Grammy Award is presented to the genre. Eddie Palmieri wins the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards for Sun of Latin Music.^[19]
• April 17 – Billboard tracks sales of LP's in Puerto Rico for the first time.^[20]
• July 31 – Billboard divides Latin LP's into two separate genres for the first time into "Pop LP's" and "Salsa LP's" for the selected regions of the US.^[21]
• October 30 – María Ostiz, representing Spain, wins the 5th Annual OTI Festival with her song "Canta cigarra ".^[16]

• August 2 – Cecilia, Spanish singer-songwriter

• January 8 – Alexandre Pires, Brazilian pop singer and lead singer of Só Pra Contrariar
• February 3 – Daddy Yankee, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer
• October 6 – Yotuel Romero, Cuban rapper and member of Orishas

• February 19 – Eddie Palmieri wins the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards for Unfinished Masterpiece.^[19]
• November 12 – Guayo González, representing Nicaragua, wins the 6th Annual OTI Festival with his song "Quincho Barrilete".^[16]

The following is a list of the top 5 best-selling Latin albums of 1977 in the United States divided into the categories of Latin pop and salsa, according to Billboard.^[22]

• January 14 – Yandel, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer
• January 21 – Frankie Negrón, American salsa singer
• January 22 – Mario Domm, Mexican pop singer-songwriter, lead member of Camila
• February 2 – Shakira, Colombian pop singer

• February 23 – Mongo Santamaría wins the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards for Dawn.^[19]
• December 2 – Denisse de Kalafe [es], representing Brazil, wins the 7th Annual OTI Festival with her song "El amor...cosa tan rara".^[16]

The following is a list of the top 5 best-selling Latin albums of 1978 in the United States divided into the categories of Latin pop and salsa, according to Billboard.^[23]

• February 10 – Don Omar, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer
• February 23 – Residente, Puerto Rican rapper
• April 15 – Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican pop singer
• September 30 – Juan Magán, Spanish DJ
• December 19 – Wisin, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer

• February 28 – Tito Puente wins the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards for Homenaje a Beny Moré .^[19]
• December 8 – Daniel Riolobo, representing Argentina, wins the 8th Annual OTI Festival with his song "Cuenta conmigo".^[16]

The following is a list of the top 5 best-selling Latin albums of 1979 in the United States divided into the categories of Latin pop and salsa, according to Billboard.^[24]

• June 5 – David Bisbal, Spanish pop singer
• October 15 – Jaci Velasquez, American performer of Christian and Latin pop music

• 1970s in music

General

• Billboard Latin LP's charts - Issues dated December 9, 1972 – May 31, 1980
• Print editions of the Notitas Musicales magazine for the #1 songs in Mexico.
• Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. (#1 songs in Spain)

Fisher, Marv (August 6, 1977). "Latin America: A Billboard Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. p. LA-3. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 10, 2022.