Mexican composer, Roberto Cantoral's 85th Birthday

 

• Roberto Antonio Cantoral García, was born in Tampico, on 7 June, 1935. 

• From an early age, he showed an ability for music and its composition. Cantoral moved to Mexico City to attend college, but dropped out to become a band leader. 

• He launched his career at 15, when he, and his brother, Antonio, formed the duet, “Hermanos Cantoral” (“Cantoral Brothers”). 

• But he music became a success, once he banded together, with Chamin Correa, and Leonel Galver, to form the trio aptly named, “Los Tres Caballeros” (“The Three Gentlemen”). 

• The trio traveled far and wide throughout the 50s, taking their romantic ballads on worldwide tours, in countries ranging from Japan to Argentina. 

• In 1960, Cantoral broke out on his own. 

• His original solo compositions were performed by some of Mexico’s most distinguished singers, and he continued to share his music with the world into the 2000s, performing at music festivals, radio shows, and TV programs in over 120 countries.  

• Along with his musical legacy, Cantoral advocated for protecting composers’ intellectual property, as an honorary president of the Mexican Society of Composers and Authors, for over 25 years. 

• He soundtracked a booming era of romantic Latin pop, with beloved ballads, such as “El Reloj” (“The Watch”), and “La Barca” (“The Boat”), both of which have been recorded over 1,000 times by dozens of musicians, such as Plácido Domingo and Linda Ronstadt.

• In 2009, Cantoral, was honored at the 10th Latin Grammy Awards, with the Latin Recording Academy Trustees Award, to recognize his dedication to music and community.  

• On 7 August, 2010, Cantoral died after suffering a heart attack on a flight from Brownsville, Texas, to Mexico City.