Latin Songs & Albums Inducted Into the National Recording Registry
Latin music has profoundly shaped the American musical landscape. From the lively rhythms of Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco’s joint album Celia & Johnny to Daddy Yankee’s reggaetón breakthrough hit “Gasolina,” these songs represent the diverse and vibrant contributions of Latin artists to the American songbook.
Every year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to the registry to preserve sound recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” to American life.
Final week, the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry immortalized two a lot more Latin songs: Juan Gabriel’s heartfelt ballad “Amor Eterno” and Héctor Lavoe’s salsa anthem “El Cantante.” Now enshrined in the registry, these timeless songs testify the enduring legacy of Latin music. “For musicians of any genre, obtaining a song inducted into the National Recording Registry is a prestigious honor,” Congressman Joaquin Castro tells Billboard Español, who’s a main driving force for Latin music on the list. “I’m incredibly proud that the Library of Congress in the end honored two artists from my list [this year].”
Designed beneath the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Registry has incorporated a lot more than twenty performs of Latin music and/or musicians of Latin descent to date. The initially Latin music release to be added to the Registry was Dance Mania (1958) by Tito Puente in 2002. Subsequent inductees incorporate Santana’s electrifying Abraxas (1970), which redefined Mexican-American rock Buena Vista Social Club’s eponymous album (1997), bringing Cuban son to American audiences Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” (1957), which reinvented a son jarocho song from Veracruz, Mexico by injecting American rock into it.
“In addition to advocating for a lot more Latino inclusion in American media — which, a lot more than any other market, shapes how Americans see the globe about us — I would also push for a lot more recognition of the methods that Latinos have contributed to American excellence,” Castro explains.
“Today, Latinos make up 20 % of the United States, but much less than 5 % of the titles on the Registry come from Latino artists, adds the Mexican American politician from San Antonio. “As a outcome, the Registry became a organic spot to direct my operate – in portion mainly because the Library of Congress has attempted in current years to do a superior job of honoring how Latinos and other racial minorities have shaped America’s development.”
Under, we present the Latin music entries, arranged from the most current inductions to the earliest.
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Héctor Lavoe, “El Cantante”
Year of Induction: 2024
Year of Release: 1978
“‘El Cantante’ is an outstanding instance of the lots of songs that became emblematic at the height of the 1970s New York City salsa era,” the Library of Congress stated in an announcement.
Listen to the album right here.
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Juan Gabriel, “Amor Eterno”
Image Credit: C Flanigan/FilmMagic Year of Induction: 2024
Year of Release: 1990
“I think that future generations – that is what he usually wanted – will see his music and make it relatable to their lives as nicely. He would usually say that ‘as extended as the individuals preserve singing my music, Juan Gabriel will in no way die,’ and it is good to see that taking place right here,” mentioned Juan Gabriel’s son, Ivan Gabriel Aguilera. “It’s a thing fantastic for us. It is such a terrific honor. It is a terrific honor for my dad. I believe that for his legacy it is a thing terrific [that] he’s going to be immortalized there in the Library of Congress.”
Listen to the album right here.
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Daddy Yankee, “Gasolina”
Year of Induction: 2023
Year of Release: 2004
Final year, “Gasolina” became the initially reggaetón song to be inducted into the National Recording Registry.
Listen to the song right here.
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Cuarteto Coculense, The Pretty 1st Mariachi Recordings
Year of Induction: 2023
Year of Release: 1907-1909 (reissued 1998)
“One may well wonder why a mariachi album, substantially much less 1 initially recorded on wax cylinders in Mexico, would be incorporated in the Library of Congress, but mariachi now is an integral portion of American culture,” wrote professor Jeff Nevin. “There are hundreds of schools with mariachi applications at all levels across the nation (elementary schools by way of graduate degrees), and numerous student and skilled mariachi musicians performing in the US (think it or not, there are far a lot more mariachis in the US than in Mexico now),”
He continues: “People everywhere appreciate mariachi music in restaurants, at parties or public events, in concerts halls, on Television and in the motion pictures, and so forth., not to mention the truth that the US was 18.7% Hispanic in 2020, and is anticipated to attain 29% — almost a third of the population — 2050.”
Listen to the album right here.
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Irene Cara, “Flashdance…What a Feeling”
Image Credit: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/GI Year of Induction: 2023
Year of Release: 1983
In 1983, as the globe was moving away from the disco fever of the 1970s and into the MTV era in the U.S., “Flashdance…. What a Feeling” gave pop radio a new shot of power: It is not a Latin song per se, but its singer-songwriter, Irene Cara, was of Puerto Rican and Cuban origin. Portion of the Flashdance film soundtrack, “What a Feeling” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot one hundred.
Listen to the song right here.
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Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club
Year of Induction: 2022
Year of Release: 1997
“That Buena Vista Social Club was deemed worthy of inclusion in The Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry must come as no surprise. It is been written that BVSC collapsed the Cold War wall in between Cuba and the West, conquered the planet and launched a thousand salsa classes,” wrote professor Fred Metting.
Listen to the album right here.
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Linda Ronstadt, Canciones de Mi Padre
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/GI Year of Induction: 2022
Year of Release: 1987
“On Saturday afternoons my father would play records by Los Panchos, Trío Calaveras, Trío Tariácuri, Lola Beltrán, Mariachi Vargas. I loved all these records and I wanted to sing them, but only knew portion of the words. I didn’t speak incredibly very good Spanish as a kid, so I believed Spanish was the language you sang in and English was the language you spoke. To me, Spanish was usually a musical language,” mentioned Linda Ronstadt.
She continued: “I had usually wanted to find out these songs on a skilled level and record them … I ultimately got a likelihood when my father named me and mentioned that they have been going to do a mariachi conference in Tucson and asked if I would like to come and see it and so I did. Mariachi Vargas was coming and so was Lola Beltrán. I was a major fan of , she was a major influence on me.”
Listen to the album right here.
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Ricky Martin, “Livin’ la Vida Loca”
Year of Induction: 2022
Year of Release: 1999
Ricky Martin earned the title of the “original Latin Crossover King,” largely thanks to his breakthrough hit, “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” penned by Draco Rosa and Desmond Kid. Remaining at the leading spot on the Billboard Hot one hundred for 5 consecutive weeks, the song became emblematic of Martin’s profession trajectory.
Listen to the song right here.
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Flaco Jiménez, Partners
Year of Induction: 2021
Year of Release: 1992
“Partners is a very good instance of how he’s a crossover,” said Maria Peña, a Library of Congress Hispanic media spokeswoman, of Jiménez. “What’s terrific about this album is it shows his collaborations — not to mention that he’s got a profession that spanned seven decades. This is a substantial acknowledgement of his operate.”
The 1992 bilingual tejano album is a collaboration in between Jiménez and other musicians like Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakum, Ry Cooder, and a lot more.
Listen to the album right here.
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Ritchie Valens, “La Bamba”
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Pictures Year of Induction: 2019
Year of Release: 1958
Initially a conventional son jarocho song from Mexico, “La Bamba” took on new life when a 17-year-old named Ritchie Valens played it on an electric guitar in 1958. “It developed a synthesis of rock ‘n’ roll and the Mexican music he grew up with,” mentioned Matt Barton, curator of recorded sound at the Library of Congress.
Listen to the song right here.
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Selena, Ven Conmigo
Year of Induction: 2019
Year of Release: 1990
“To completely appreciate Selena, the superstar Tejano singer, commence with Ven Conmigo, the second album that Selena y Los Dinos recorded for their new main label EMI-Latin. Released in 1990, the record was a watershed for the household band from Corpus Christi, serving notice these have been the new common bearers of Tejano, the regional music common amongst second- and third-generation Texans of Mexican descent,” wrote Cary O’Dell for the Library of Congress.
Listen to the album right here.
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Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You”
Year of Induction: 2017
Year of Release: 1987
Gloria Estefan’s hit song “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” stands as the epitome of Cuban influence on American R&B and acts as a gauge for Latino integration into the United States, specifically in Miami, which has been Estefan’s house base for a extended time.
Listen to the song right here.
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Joan Baez, Joan Baez
Year of Induction: 2015
Year of release: 1960
Mexican American singer-songwriter Joan Baez played a pivotal part in shaping the folk revival of the 1960s, with her eponymous album serving as a cornerstone for this influential movement.
Listen to the album right here.
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Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, Celia & Johnny
Year of Induction: 2013
Year of Release: 1974
“Celia & Johnny is foundational in understanding the diverse types inside salsa music,” stated the Library of Congress.
Listen to the album right here.
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Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente, Descargas: Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature
Image Credit: Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank by means of Getty Pictures Year of Induction: 2012
Year of Release: 1957
Cuban bassist Israel “Cachao” Lopez drew inspiration from the legendary all-star jam sessions organized and recorded by Norman Granz for his Jazz at the Philharmonic series. Motivated by this, Cachao sought to replicate a related collaborative atmosphere amongst his musical peers in Havana.
Listen to the album right here.
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Lydia Mendoza, “Mal Hombre”
Year of Induction: 2010
Year of Release: 1934
Lydia Mendoza, a Mexican-American guitarist and Tejano vocalist, graced the stage in the course of the Inaugural Folk Dance and Concert at the Inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Her signature song “Mal Hombre” (Negative Man) became her signature piece.
Listen to it right here.
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Eddie Palmieri, Azúcar Pa’ Ti
Year of Induction: 2009
Year of Release: 1965
“Eddie Palmieri (b. 1936) was a solution of the lots of Puerto Ricans in New York, and along the East Coast, who have so closely identified with each Cuban and US jazz that have played such an critical part in the crystallization of the hybrid salsa movement internationally, but specially in the Latin quarters of the United States,” wrote Steven Loza for the Library of Congress.
Listen to the album right here.
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Rita Montaner / Don Azpiazú and His Havana Casino Orchestra, “El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)”
Year of Induction: 2005
Year of Release: 1927 and 1930 (two versions)
“It is the initially American recording of an genuine Latin dance style,” noted the National Recording Preservation Board. “This recording launched a decade of ‘rumbamania’, introducing U.S. listeners to Cuban percussion instruments and Cuban rhythms.” The song has been recorded a lot more than 160 instances.
Listen to the track right here.
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Dizzy Gillespie Huge Band with Chano Pozo, “Manteca”
Year of Induction: 2004
Year of Release: 1947
For the duration of the years preceding 1940, Cuban rhythms and melodies created their way to the United States, coinciding with the spread of American jazz all through the Caribbean. “Manteca” marked 1 of the initial stages in the fusion journey from Afro-Cuban rhythms to Latin jazz.
Listen to the song right here.
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Reside at Yankee Stadium by Fania All-Stars
Year of Induction: 2003
Year of Release: 1975
Even though the Fania Records supergroup had currently attained renown, its August 23, 1973 show at the Yankee Stadium marked a historic moment for Latin music. It was a monumental concert that elevated the group to legendary status.
Listen to the album right here.
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Tito Puente, Dance Mania
Image Credit: Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Pictures Year of Induction: 2002
Year of Release: 1958
Dance Mania by bandleader and Fania All-Star fame Tito Puente played a major part in popularizing Latin music in the U.S., serving as a catalyst for the widespread embrace of Afro-Cuban rhythms and dance culture inside American society.
Listen to the album right here.
