Mariachi Tapatio De Jose Marmolejo

One of the leading mariachi bands of the 1930s and '40s, Mariachi Tapatio de José Marmolejo introduced the trumpet to the mariachi tradition. The group was one of the most scholarly of Mexico's mariachi bands, with several members capable of reading music and two members who had studied music theory. Mariachi Tapatio de José Marmolejo was founded by José Marmolejo Ramirez (born in Tecolotlán, Jalesco, Mexico, in 1908) shortly after leaving his uncle Cirilo Marmolejo's group, Mariachi Coculense de Cirilo Marmolejo, in 1933. The band, which featured trumpet player Jesùs Salazar, was as well known for its rehearsals as it was for concerts. Rehearsing daily in Ramirez's single-story tenement apartment, about ten blocks from Plaza Garibaldi, the band was often joined by future singing stars including José Negrete, Pedro Infante, and Vicente Fernandez. Following Ramirez's death in 1958, Mariachi Tapatio de José Marmolejo continued to perform for another decade.